


The Great (Not Just British) Drivers Bake Off

by simplyverstappen



Series: F1 goes Bake Off [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Baking, Baking Competition, Competition, Crack, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, M/M, Pure Chaos, The Great British Bake Off, There Is Drama, There is a Tiny Bit of Angst, but there is especially, cakes, for one pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26217904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyverstappen/pseuds/simplyverstappen
Summary: “These guys have an almost fighter pilot mentality and that’s what separates them from mere mortals. They’re used to working under high pressure and we can expect great things from them.”“SEB I AM HAVING A BREAKDOWN, THE SUGAR IS NOT MELTING!”“Lando is having a crisis right now.”“C’est une catastrophe.”“FIVE MINUTES LEFT!” “WE HAVE NO TIME LEFT WE ARE GOING TO DIE!”
Relationships: Alexander Albon/Lando Norris/George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Kimi Räikkönen/Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly/Charles Leclerc
Series: F1 goes Bake Off [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075640
Comments: 76
Kudos: 295





	The Great (Not Just British) Drivers Bake Off

**Author's Note:**

> this is ... a 22k mess and pure self-indulgence tbh lmao 
> 
> The Great British Bake Off is my comfort show for sad days, this fic turned into a comfort fic and I mentioned it on my tumblr some time ago that I wanted to write sth with the drivers in a kitchen/baking environment simply for the pure chaos they'd cause sksksk 
> 
> I had this idea since March I think??? And I finally came around to write it :')
> 
> It was a bit hard at first to turn a TV show like this into a fic but here we are and honestly, it was so much fun - I thought about splitting it into two chapters but it didn't feel right so I'm just gonna drop the whole 22k mess on you now sksksksk 
> 
> This fic is pure chaos and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing 💛

“Welcome to a special edition of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ - it might not be as quiet and peaceful as during the normal season but we ask you to please bear with us.” 

The camera flies over the historic market town of Newbury, a lush, green, landscape coming into view until it focuses on two men standing in front of the famous white tent. 

“We are in the glorious grounds of Welford Park, Berkshire and limbering up for a baking marathon!” Jenson Button smiles broadly into the camera, he seems to be in a good mood and Toto Wolff next to him nods, a tad more serious. “Formula One hosts a Bake-Off for charity and we invited thirteen Formula One drivers to take a part in it.” 

“Toto and I will be your hosts and while Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry and Prue Leith are not available - and believe us, we have kept bugging them - we have recruited two very special judges: Romain Grosjean, who has published his own cookbook and Christian Horner, hobby-baker and father, to be their judges”, Jenson continues, still grinning. 

-

“How did you prepare for this task?”

“I talked with Marion, looked at different desserts and cakes and baked some for my children”, Romain explains, smiling in the camera. “They really enjoyed this and I’m really excited to see what my fellow drivers will create.”

“And you Christian?”

“I take this job very seriously, of course, so I rewatched every season of The Great British Bake Off with my kids and I’m fully prepared to judge the drivers.” Christian smirks. “They’ll either pleasantly surprise us or it’s going to be a disaster but whatever happens it will definitely be interesting.”

-

“Well, we are sure they will judge fairly”, Jenson comments with a grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement and Toto nods. “We have three challenges to find out who our Starbaker is - or rather, our Starbaker Team. We are bending the rules a little, pairing the drivers up so they’re not completely on their own - this is going to be exciting.”

“These guys have an almost fighter pilot mentality and that’s what separates them from mere mortals. They’re used to working under high pressure and we can expect great things from them”, Jensons says with a smirk and Toto raises his eyebrows. “Did you really just quote Christian from Drive To Survive?” 

“Maybe?”

“Well, let’s hear from the first team, shall we?”

-

“I am here to win and I don’t think the others are much of a competition. I doubt some of them have ever seen a kitchen from the inside before”, Nico Rosberg starts and Lewis Hamilton, who’s sitting next to his partner outside of the tent (he’s pretty sure F1 and Channel 4 just paired them up for the potential drama), sighs deeply. “We do take them seriously-“

“Not really.”

“We _do_ ”, Lewis glares at him and Natalie Pinkham, who is behind the camera to interview them, gives them a warm smile. “Do you think your partner will be a problem for you, Lewis?” 

Nico stares at her incredulously but before he can say something (or throw the water bottle he’s holding at her) Lewis clears his throat. He’s a professional, he won’t let Nico disturb his inner peace. 

“I might not be particularly happy about my partner choice but it doesn’t matter. I am here to win and Nico won’t distract me.”

Nico just raises his eyebrows, the tension between them is obvious and Lewis sees Natalie hold back a smirk. Of course she knows about their past rivalry. 

Yep, they definitely brought Nico back for the drama. 

Lewis misses Valtteri. 

-

“Oh, these two.” Jenson shakes his head grinning. “They’re like cat and dog, aren’t they? Always at each other’s throat. I can imagine they’d been a handful at their time at Mercedes together.” 

“You have no idea”, Toto answers gravely but there’s a small smile playing around his lips - it’s obvious that he’s happy to have his two World Champions back together again. “They’re a good team though when they have to - I’m excited to see what they’ll be able to achieve.” 

“Oh, believe me, we all are.” Jenson grins, turning back to the camera. “Our next team is way calmer - and definitely friendlier with each other.”

-

“I think if we approach this with logic and calmness it should work, I mean, how hard can it be?” Sebastian Vettel smiles warmly and Natalie gives Kimi Raikkonen a pointed look. “Do you think so too, Kimi?”

“I trust Seb with this.” Kimi shrugs, looking completely unbothered, the sunglasses hiding his eyes and it’s quiet for a long moment until Natalie blinks, looking a bit baffled. “...okay. Sebastian, are you happy with the partner you got?” 

“Kimi would’ve been my first choice anyway.” Seb is still smiling, looking completely relaxed and he nudges Kimi gently with his elbow. “I miss him as my teammate and we’ve always gotten along really well.” 

“And you Kimi?”

“Yeah. Seb’s my friend, I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else.” Kimi shrugs again and while Seb grins (of course, he didn’t expect anything else from Kimi) Natalie sighs resigned.

“Alright then.”

-

“The Iceman, cool as always.” Jenson laughs and Toto smiles. “You have to keep in mind they’ve been friends for such a long time now - I think they have a good chance of winning this.”

“You think so? Even with their potential lack of baking experience?” Jenson raises his eyebrows but Toto nods. “They work well together and as long as they stay calm and focused they have a realistic chance.”

“I trust you on this.” Jenson laughs, running a hand through his hair - it’s a warm summer’s day, Toto and he both are wearing T-shirts and shorts, a cool breeze touches their legs, making it a bit more bearable. 

He’s really glad they don’t have to wear long pants and dress shirts - this is definitely an upgrade from Sky. 

“Let’s hear from the next team - they might have a slight advantage, given the fact that one of them is sharing the nationality with one of our judges ...” 

-

“Are you nervous, Pierre?”, Natalie asks with a warm smile but Pierre Gasly shakes his head with a shy smile. “I can read the recipe so how hard can it be? And in the worst case, we just use some fondant to cover up mistakes-”

“What’s fondant?” Charles Leclerc stares at him, confusion is written all over his face and while Pierre holds back a sigh, Natalie grins. “You will find out very soon, Charles. Do you have a good feeling about this?” 

“I don’t know.” Charles shrugs, unconsciously leaning against Pierre - he’s so glad he’s with him. “At least I can do it with Pierre - imagine it would’ve been Max and me? A disaster.” 

Natalie laughs while Pierre snorts. “Yeah, I think the producers wanted us to actually finish the competition without any murders, thank you.” 

Charles just grins, enjoying the sun on his face, a slight wind making it bearable. It’s a hot summer’s day and he knows it’s only going to get hotter in the tent and Natalie gives him a curious look. 

“Do you think you can win this?”

That’s a really good question. 

“I mean we all are here to win”, Pierre answers diplomatically, “and we know it’s going to be tough. But I have full faith in Charles and myself.”

-

“Well, that’s definitely going to be interesting“, Jenson remarks and Toto nods. “But they’re also really good friends - this might test their friendship.”

“And racing against each other in Formula One doesn’t?”

“I mean, Charles is in a Ferrari and Pierre in an Alpha Tauri...” Toto doesn’t finish the sentence but he’s grinning and Jenson starts laughing. “Shady, Toto, shady. Didn’t expect that from you, to be honest, mate.”

Jenson grins and Toto smiles, running a hand through his hair. “All I’m saying is that their friendship might get tested if they both fail - I doubt Charles is used to failure.” 

“I mean he does drive a Ferrari...” Jenson grins and Toto- look, he tries, he really does but he can’t hold back the laughter that’s building up inside and he just hopes he doesn’t run into Mattia after this. Preferably not for the next ten years. 

Jenson grins, taking a deep breath and they’re focused again. 

“Alright, alright. Two other drivers who are definitely used to having a healthy on-track rivalry while being close friends make up our next team.”

-

“I mean I get to spend a weekend with Daniel and it’s for charity so I guess that’s good.” Max Verstappen shrugs, his signature cap on his head and Natalie gives him an encouraging smile. “Are you confident you’re going to win?” 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not like our competition is particularly strong.” Max grins and Daniel Ricciardo who’s sitting next to him, sunglasses on his face, nods with an equally big grin. “But we’re actually just here to have some fun.”

“You seem pretty confident.” Natalie gives them an impressed look but Daniel’s grin only widens. “We are race drivers, going around the track at 200 mph, we are used to working under time pressure - how hard can baking a cake be? It’s gonna be a piece of cake.” 

He has to laugh at his own joke and Max snorts, not able to hold back his own grin. “You’re so fucking corny, mate.”

The smile he gives him after is soft and Natalie raises her eyebrows, keeping quiet though. 

-

“Ah, I always love these two.” Jenson shakes his head amused and Toto nods, a small smile playing around his lips. “Two very skilled drivers and I’m sure they’ll surprise us all this weekend.” 

“And their chemistry is just right, innit? I always have to smile watching them interact”, Jenson says and Toto nods again. “Oh, definitely. I’ve never seen two teammates who got along so well as these two did in their time at Red Bull together.” 

“We are definitely excited to see what Maxiel does to convince the judges.” Jenson smirks, turning back to the camera. 

“Our next team actually consists of three drivers and it's - if I may say so - one of my favourite teams.”

-

“I’m sure it’s going to be fun. And it’s for charity so that’s a plus.” Alex Albon smiles, looking a bit insecure but George Russell next to him nods. “Yeah, I agree with Alex, it’s gonna be fun.”

They’re crammed together in front of the camera, Lando between the two taller drivers and Natalie clears her throat. “Do you think so too, Lando?”

“Absolutely, I mean, what’s the worst that can happen, the tent burning down? …. nevermind.” Lando grins and Natalie raises her eyebrows. “You are the youngest team in the tent and you are three instead of two - do you think this will be a disadvantage?”

“Nah.” Lando smirks. “We are mates, we get along really well.” 

“As long as we are organised I don’t see us failing, to be honest”, George adds and Alex nods. “Yeah, I trust both of them. It might be a bit chaotic but we have a good chance of winning this.” 

“Well, we are definitely looking forward to it, boys.” 

-

“I have to agree with Natalie, I’m really looking forward to them.” Jenson shakes his head amused and Toto laughs. “Well, they’re good friends and being three instead of two can play to their advantage - if they stay focused.”

“It will either go incredibly well or end in a complete disaster”, Jenson agrees. “Their youth might also be a disadvantage-“

“I don’t think so, Pierre, Max and Charles aren’t much older than George and Alex - and I doubt they have more experience in baking”, Toto interrupts him and a small grin appears on Jenson’s face. “Well, we’ll definitely find out soon enough. Our last team is - well, let’s just say they’re definitely an interesting mix.” 

-

“Yeah, I really don’t wanna be here.” Kevin Magnussen stares into the camera, not blinking once and Natalie clears her throat. “Don’t you think it’s going to be fun-“

“No.”

“Alright then.” She sighs, turning to Nico Hulkenberg who sits next to Kevin with an annoyed expression on his face, both drivers ignoring each other. “What about you, Nico?” 

“I also don’t wanna be here and I would have preferred to be paired with Max Verstappen during this competition, thank you very much.” Hulk rolls his eyes, he can’t believe Channel 4 and F1 (or the FIA or _whoever the fuck_ is responsible for this mess) paired him up with Magnussen of all people. 

He would’ve taken literally any other driver (maybe not Ocon because ... you know) but no, he has to spend a weekend doing stupid baking challenges with Kevin Magnussen. 

He would’ve at least had fun with Max and Natalie sighs. “You think you have a chance to win?” 

“As if I could win a competition with this dickhead.” Hulk rolls his eyes while Kevin flips him off and Nathalie sighs again. 

Yep, the video editors are definitely going to have fun with this part. 

-

“You have to admit it never gets boring when these two are involved.” Jenson laughs and Toto sighs, running a hand over his face. “I know, it’s an explosive mix but I hope they get their act together.”

“Could you imagine them as teammates?”

“Actually, yes.” Toto frowns before he grins. “They’d constantly push each other and I think they’re both mature enough to keep it professional.”

“Well, I’m definitely excited to see what they’ll bring to the tent - god, I’m loving this new job.” Jenson laughs, running a hand through his hair before turning back to the camera. 

“Alright, off to the first challenge we go!”

-

The camera shows the inside of the tent, each team behind their own kitchen station, each driver wearing a beige apron and Romain, Christian, Jenson and Toto are standing in the front. 

The situation is so surreal Max nearly laughs out loud - he’s standing in an open tent somewhere in England, it’s summer and they should all actually be on holiday. He should be on some jet ski in Monaco, enjoying the sun and his summer break - instead, he is going to spend his next two days with cakes and flour and buttercream. 

He doesn’t mind the weekend baking - it might end in a disaster but it’s for a good cause. 

And he gets to spend it with Daniel and Lando so that’s a plus.

He does find it slightly weird to get judged by his team boss and a fellow driver though and he shifts a bit nervously next to Daniel, not sure what to expect. He has never seen The Great British Bake Off, all he knows is that they are going to get three challenges and they’ll be judged according to them. 

“For your Signature Challenge”, Jenson starts, a grin on his face (he seems in a really good mood today, Max notices), “you’ll do something very simple.”

“Define ‘simple’”, Hulk calls out dryly, standing as far away from Kevin as possible and Romain smiles - he looks genuinely excited. 

“You’ll do a fruity cake”, he explains with a bright smile on his face. “As you can see we have different fruits here and you can choose from them, come up with something unique.”

“We want to see creativity”, Christian adds, crossing his arms in front of his chest and Max exchanges a quick look with Alex and Pierre, all three of them trying to hold back their grin - the situation is so surreal. 

He’s pretty sure Christian has never baked in his life. 

“But of course we’ll also judge the taste”, Christian ends, nodding towards their stations. “You’ll have a recipe for a basic sponge cake there - make the best out of it.”

“You have two hours”, Toto says, a serious look in his eyes. “On your marks, get set ... BAKE!”

-

Jenson, Romain, Christian and Toto make their way over to Charles and Pierre, Romain giving them a friendly smile, a curious expression in his eyes. “So guys, what are you making?” 

“We thought we’re doing something with bananas”, Pierre and Charles grin at each other, “and guava.”

“That’s definitely a challenging fruit.” Romain raises his eyebrows impressed and Christian frowns. “Have you ever worked with guava before?”

“No, but it’ll be fine.” Charles waves dismissively, how hard can it be? Bake the cake and decorate it with chopped fruit. Easy. 

_”Do you guys have any baking experience?” Natalie gives them a curious look and Pierre blushes. “Ehh … I once tried making muffins and failed. They tasted like rubber.”_

_And he knows that this isn’t really convincing. But they just didn’t have time to prepare-_

_”I have never ever baked in my life and I actually didn’t plan on starting.” Charles shrugs, looking not too thrilled about it and Natalie nods slowly, a slight incredulous expression in her eyes._

_Pierre can’t blame her - they don’t really look convincing in their single interviews and he forces himself to smile._

_”But we’ll definitely give it our best.”_

_After all, there might be people actually rooting for them._

“Well, we definitely wish you good luck.” Christian gives them an encouraging smile before they move on, the camera following them and Pierre takes a deep breath, exchanging a look with Charles.

“So...what should I do? Peel the banana?” Charles looks a bit helpless and Pierre swallows dryly, staring at the recipe in front of them. “Okay, a basic sponge cake can’t be too tricky, right?” 

-

“Okay but what if we use berries?”, Max mumbles, leaning closer to Daniel than he probably should but Daniel just shakes his head, his long finger wandering over the recipe. 

Max really should start focusing on their task at hand and not on Dan’s fingers. 

“That’s basic”, Dan then comments and Max grins, Daniel’s eyes falling on the strawberries. “Okay but what if we do something with strawberries and rosé wine and that shit?”

“Rosé wine?” Max raises his eyebrows but Daniel nods with bright eyes. “I told you my Mama loves The Great Australian Bake Off and there was something like that!”

“Okay sure.” Max snorts, not able to hide his smile at Daniel’s excitement - but knowing him he’d have said yes to any cake Daniel suggested.

“So what are you guys doing?” Jenson shows up with Romain and Christian, Toto is not in the tent at the moment and Dan grins. 

“We've decided”, Max loves that he is saying ‘we’ because he really hasn't done shit yet, “to do a Strawberry and Rose Cake.” 

“Sounds tasty”, Christian says, Jenson sniffing on the open rosé wine bottle and Romain nods, a curious glint in his eyes. “The buttercream might be a bit of a challenge so watch out for that but I’m sure it’ll be interesting.”

_“I am a race driver, not a baker, I have never baked in my life”, Max starts dryly and Daniel holds back a grin, Natalie staring at him. “I’m too impatient for it. And while some people may say I have never seen a kitchen from the inside, that’s a lie. The fridge is in there and I store my Red Bull in it.”_

_Dan starts laughing and even Natalie can’t hold back a smile. “That doesn’t sound too healthy, Max.”_

_”I get by.” Max shrugs and Natalie grins before turning towards Daniel. “What about you, any baking experience?”_

_”I have helped my Mama make a birthday cake once and she’s obsessed with The Great Australian Bake Off. Oh, and I have some basic cooking skills.” Daniel grins and Max nods. “And you make some sick pancakes.”_

_“Oh yeah, and I make some sick pancakes.” Daniel nods in confirmation, running a hand through his curls._

_Natalie doesn’t ask why Max knows that._

“You’ll love it”, Dan promises their judges confidently and Christian raises his eyebrows, a small smile on his face - Max knows they’re his favourites. 

He just hopes that will work in their favour.

-

“We are _not_ doing that, Lewis.” 

“Yes, we are.” 

“No.”

“Yes! It will be good just fucking trust me and start mixing the ingredients for the sponge cake - _please_.” They’re still on TV and Lewis doesn’t want to lose his cool this early - they still have two challenges ahead of them.

And he really wants to win. 

“Fine”, Nico mumbles before looking up, giving him a sharp look. “Why are you the one telling me what to do by the way?” 

Lewis takes a deep breath. “Because I have a concept in my mind and it will be good. Trust me.” 

Nico doesn’t look convinced but before they can continue their argument Romain, Toto and Christian come over and they both force a smile on their faces. 

“You think we can make a vegan cake?”, Lewis asks before they can say something and he can hear Nico groan behind him, cracking some eggs in the bowl and ignoring him. 

Christian just gives them a tight-lipped smile (Lewis knows they’re definitely _not_ his favourites, that goes to Max and Daniel) while Toto shakes his head, a real smile on his face. “I’m afraid we can’t, Lewis, you’ll have to work with what we’ve got.”

He expected that. 

At least they’re Toto’s favourites. 

Lewis sighs and nods, his braids pulled back into a small ponytail and Romain curiously looks over their assembled ingredients. “So what are you making?”

“A Tropical Fresh Fruit Cake”, Lewis starts while Nico is still working on the dough for the sponge cakes. “We have a three-layered sponge and it’s made with fresh mango and pineapple, and limoncello liqueur. There’s also tropical fruit in the cream filling and as decoration.”

“That’s ... impressive. Seems like you guys really have a concept.” Romain raises his eyebrows impressed. “I love the use of the limoncello liqueur.” 

Lewis nods, a smile on his face. “Yep.”

_”Any prior baking experiences?”, Natalie asks them with a warm smile but Nico shakes his head. “I buy my cakes, I don’t bake them myself - why would I? I love cooking though.”_

_Lewis knows that too well and Natalie nods. “That’s a good start and you might be able to transfer some of your cooking experience to the oven.” She grins before turning to Lewis. “What about you?”_

_“I make some really good vegan pancakes and I have seen every episode of The Great British Bake Off.” Which is true, he loves the show more than anything and there’s nothing more calming and peaceful after an exhausting race than watching an episode (or a whole season) of The Great British Bake Off in his hotel room._

_”Some might say I am obsessed with it and I may have never baked in real life but I know what we have to do”, Lewis adds and while Nico subtly rolls his eyes next to him (he knows very well about Lewis’ obsession with the show) Nathalie gives him a bright smile. “Well, we’re really excited to see how you two will do.”_

_So is Lewis and while working with Nico again is annoying he’s still incredibly excited to be here._

“Well good luck you two”, Christian says, already leaving (yep, definitely not his favourites) while Toto leans a bit closer. 

“Behave”, he mumbles, giving them a warning look and Lewis- he wants to counter that they _are_ but he knows the weekend will be challenging. And Nico and he are both competitive as fuck. 

Toto leaves and Lewis and Nico stare at each other for a moment.

“So? You’re helping me as well?”, Nico asks him in a challenging tone and Lewis grits his teeth. “Ba-“ 

He stops himself just in time, knowing they’re on TV and he takes a deep breath - he really wants to throw some flour at Nico. 

Really, really badly. 

-

Seb tries his best to focus on their task at hand but he can’t help keep worrying about Charles (and Pierre for the matter). Both look incredibly lost and Kimi snaps his fingers in front of his face. “Focus, Seb, we still have a cake to bake.”

“Yes, sorry.” He turns back to the arrangement of ingredients, not feeling _too_ overwhelmed - he thinks that’s a good thing - and Kimi frowns at the recipe. “So we make a sponge cake and put the crumble and apple on top?

“And the almonds.” Seb stares at the recipe as well, it is supposed to be easy. An easy cake for a good start to build up for the next challenge. 

It doesn’t look too easy. 

“Seb and Kimi, how are you two doing?” Jenson, Romain and Christian show up at their station, Christian giving them a warm smile and Seb shrugs helplessly. “...okay?”

From the corner of his eyes, he sees Charles dropping a plastic cup - thankfully an empty one - and he takes a deep breath. Yeah, this is gonna be a challenge. 

“What are you making?” Romain’s eyes wander over the apples on their station and Seb, knowing Kimi won’t answer him (he’s also busy with the dough), takes a deep breath, forcing himself to remember their plan. 

“Apple, Almond and Maple Crumble and it’s a loaf cake”, he explains, pointing towards their different ingredients. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

_“I don’t really have much baking experience, we are away from home so much during the year, it’s hard to really learn that skill. My grandma tried teaching me when I was a little boy but I think I never picked anything up.” Seb laughs and Nathalie smiles. “I’m sure you two will do great.”_

_Seb isn’t too sure about that but he trusts Kimi and he just hopes they won’t do too bad. The whole Ferrari drama is still weighing heavily on him and he just wants a little bit of success. And if it’s a cake that is eatable then he’ll take that._

_“Kimi, do you have any baking experience?” Nathalie turns towards the Finn who’s still looking completely unbothered by the heat and he shakes his head. “Bwoah, nah. Never baked.”_

_Seb knows they might not win this though._

Working with Kimi has been his favourite thing at Ferrari and Seb is still thanking F1 and Channel 4 that they teamed him up with Kimi and not his disaster child - he loves Charles but that kid has probably never even seen a kitchen from the inside before. 

They start cutting apples but Seb can’t help to keep an eye on Charles and he sighs deeply when Charles and Pierre discuss quietly, the fruits laying next to them, untouched. 

He just hopes they don’t forget the time.

-

Kevin and Hulk have not spoken to each other for the first twenty minutes, both mixing some ingredients together for the sponge cake and Kevin hates it. This is completely inefficient, they’re making way too much dough but they also refuse to talk to each other.

The other teams seem to get along well, chatting easily while mixing and cutting things and Kevin can’t help but envy them. He wishes his teammate would be next to him and not a fucking judge. 

Or he could’ve gotten literally any other partner than Hulkenberg he's not that picky. 

He’d have even taken Leclerc or Verstappen. 

But they both seem happy with their partners, Max laughing at something Daniel said while washing strawberries and Charles is currently discussing something with Pierre but they don’t seem pissed at each other. 

Just concentrated.

Kevin curses quietly in Danish when a small eggshell falls into his dough and he gets a fork to fish it out, sighing inwardly when he sees Romain, Toto and Christian come towards them. 

Great. 

“How are you, guys?”, Romain asks and Kevin rolls his eyes. “Bad.”

Hulk throws him a deadly glare, putting his mixer down with a bit more force than necessary. 

“Didn’t expect anything else to be honest”, he says and Kevin is surprised at the venom in his voice. 

God, he hates this. 

“Alright...” Romain looks a bit unsure, exchanging a look with Christian and Christian sighs. “What are you making?”

“A cake”, Hulk replies dryly and while Kevin rolls his eyes, Toto stares at him with raised eyebrows. “We figured”, he says slowly and Christian sighs deeply, clearly done with them already. “Anything specific?”

Well, they haven’t talked about it yet and Kevin knows they look like fucking amateurs right now. 

“Something with the fruits, we don’t know yet”, he explains and Romain gives him a pitiful look - yeah, Kevin feels sorry for himself as well for being paired with that conceited bastard. 

_”Do you guys have any baking experience prior to this?”, Natalie asks them but Kevin shakes his head, a grim smile on his face. “Nope. This is gonna be a disaster.”_

_The tension between Hulk and him is still so obvious and Natalie sighs, it seems like she’s done with them. “Alright. Nico?”_

_“Never baked before, I still don’t wanna be here and it’s gonna be chaos. Pure chaos.” Hulk has his arms crossed in front of his chest, he doesn’t look too bothered about it and Kevin really hates him._

_Why exactly does he have to have a crush on a) the only person in the paddock who seems to really hate his guts and b) is probably the straightest guy he ever met?_

“Well, good luck. Don’t burn the tent down.” Christian gives them a wry smile before leaving with the other two and Kevin rolls his eyes, going back to his dough. 

At the moment it looks like they’re baking ten sponge cakes.

-

“Lando, George, Alex, how is it going, boys?” Jenson has a wide smile on his face when he steps to their station with Romain and Christian in tow and George shrugs. “Quite alright at the moment.”

Lando nods, pouring the sugar to the dough for their sponge cake while Alex stares at the pineapple in front of them, apparently not sure what exactly to do with it. 

“What are you guys doing?”, Romain asks, eying the pineapple and coconut chunks suspiciously and George grins. “A pineapple and coconut cake made with chunks of fresh coconut and pineapple, it’s layered with coconut-flavoured buttercream and topped with a pineapple ‘flower’.”

Christian, Romain and Jenson stare at him, George looking proud and Romain raises his eyebrows impressed. “That sounds ... like a lot of work.”

“Why something so complicated?”, Christian asks, real curiosity in his eyes and George shrugs. “We are here to win and we want to impress you guys.”

“Do you have any baking experience?”, Christian asks and George hesitates, Alex beheading the pineapple in the back. 

_“I have a little bit of baking experience from my Mum and I can make a cake without burning it?” Alex frowns, running a hand through his hair. “I think that’s a win.”_

_”It’s definitely something we can work with”, Lando says encouragingly and George nods, squeezing Alex’s thigh quickly, hoping no one notices it. “Yeah, it’s good.”_

_”What about you, George?” Natalie throws him a curious look and George smirks, putting an arm around Lando and Alex and pulling them closer. “I’m sure they all think I am a spoiled kid who has never baked in his life. Little do they know that I’m responsible for the Christmas cookies in our family.”_

_And they are really good if he believes his Mum. And she encouraged him when he told her that he’d be on a special version of Bake-Off so he’s quite positive._

_Natalie nods, impressed, turning to Lando. “And you, Lando?”_

_“They all think I have never seen a kitchen from the inside before which is not true. I went to the fridge to get my already prepared lunch from McLaren. And I’m excited for the challenge and ready to learn.” Lando grins and while George rolls his eyes fondly, Alex nods. “And that’s the most important thing.”_

_”We are definitely excited to see what you’ll bring to the tent”, Nathalie says and Alex grins. “Oh believe me, we are too.”_

“A little I would say.” George shrugs while Lando appears next to him, nodding earnestly. 

“The cake is like Piña Colada”, he explains and Romain grins. “Well looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you. Good luck.”

They leave and Alex turns towards George, a bit of panic in his eyes. “How do we get the coconut flavour _in_ the sponge cake?! Do we really just put the chunks in the dough?!”

George takes a deep breath, turning towards the recipe - they can do this. The cake might be too complicated but they are three people. 

They can do this.

-

“How do you _cut_ this thing?!” Charles stares at the guava in his hand, completely lost and he wishes he could have the banana back. 

The guava has seemed like a good idea in the beginning and he turns towards his boyfriend who’s watching their cakes rise in the oven right now. “Pierre, how on earth am I supposed to get this thing into smaller pieces?!”

He throws the cut bananas a suspicious glance, he’s not sure how quickly they will turn brown and it may not have been the best idea to cut them at first. 

“Okay, maybe-“ Pierre steps next to him, frowning at the fruit and Charles testingly hits it against the counter. Nothing happens. 

“Charles!” Pierre glares at him and Charles raises his hands defensively. “What?! It doesn’t do shit and I don’t just wanna cut it in a half- SEB, HOW DO YOU CUT THIS SHIT?!”

He’s yelling through half the tent, a few of the other drivers giving him odd looks and Seb turns around, sighing deeply. “You cut it in half, Charles. And then, given that you don’t want the rind, you spoon it out.”

Charles stares at him, Seb looking back with raised eyebrows. “What?” 

“Just like that?! I thought they have a core-“

“Well, they don’t”, Kimi cuts in with a raspy voice, pulling Seb back to their- it looks like apples and Pierre gets a knife. They carefully cut the guava in half and Charles makes a face of disgust when he sees the inside. 

“It looks disgusting, like a tomato”, he comments and Pierre sighs, getting the spoon. “I just- how do we get this presentable on the cake?!”

Charles shrugs, stealing a piece of guava and popping it in his mouth, pulling a face of disgust when he licks his finger and tastes the fruit. Ew. 

Pierre is still trying to get the guava out and Charles suddenly remembers their cakes, swearing quietly in French before getting them out of the oven. They’re a bit brown, they have half an hour left and he closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

“C’est une catastrophe.”

-

Daniel stares into the oven, praying their cakes are baking properly while Max is mixing the buttercream together and he takes a deep breath. 

They have three layers of sponge cake, injected with rosé wine (he prays it was not too much, he was a bit generous while pouring it in) and he quickly looks around. 

Nothing is burning yet, Kevin and Hulk are ... not talking as much as he can see, Nico and Lewis are arguing but working, Seb and Kimi look stressed, Charles and Pierre desperate and Lando, George and Alex - Daniel raises an eyebrow, definitely impressed - seem focused. They’re laughing and teasing each other but they’re focused and he gets back up. 

“Max, don’t eat the strawberries!”, he groans when he sees his boyfriend stealing their cake decoration and Max gives him a sheepish smile. “‘M sorry?”

“I’m glad you’re eating healthy for once and I’m sure Bradley is happy too but this is not the time!” Dan sighs but he can’t hold back a smile and Max shrugs, leaning against the counter. “They taste good.”

“I hope so, they have to convince our judges after all.” Dan winks at him before getting their cakes out of the oven and he groans when he sees them. 

The layers are uneven and Max steps next to him. “How the fuck did that happen?”

“I don’t know.” Dan runs a hand over his face, it got hot in the tent they both flinch when they hear Jenson call “TWENTY MINUTES BAKERS, TWENTY MINUTES!”

“This is where people start to panic and now I really understand it”, Daniel says to the camera with a forced grin before turning back to their cakes. 

“Shit”, he mumbles and Max frowns. “Can’t we fill it with strawberries?”

“Do we have enough left for that?”

“...fuck” 

-

“It looks promising”, Toto comments when he steps next to Nico and Lewis at the kitchen station. “Very tasty.”

“I hope it tastes as good as it looks”, Romain throws in, Lewis ignoring him, too concentrated to cut out a smaller sponge cake from the bigger piece. 

“Lewis was responsible for the buttercream so if it’s bad it’s his fault”, Nico jokes and Lewis grits his teeth, wanting nothing more than to kick him. 

“Well, the stakes are high...” Christian doesn’t have to finish and Lewis swears when he realises his piece is too big. Nico rolls his eyes but doesn’t answer, just watching them move on to the next team and an idea forms in his head. 

“What if I try bribing Romain in French?”, he asks Lewis quietly, making sure no camera is around and Lewis scoffs, still cutting on the cake. “And what would you offer him? A feature in your vlog?”

“A seat at Mercedes.” 

Lewis nearly cuts himself in surprise, staring at him and Nico shrugs. “I mean-“

“You’re such an idiot sometimes!”, Lewis hisses before focusing on his cake again. “Toto speaks French!”

Ah, yeah. There’s always something, he guesses and Nico sighs before taking care of the Kiwis.

“And”, Lewis adds a small grin on his face, “we are not Ferrari. We don’t cheat.” 

-

“Okay I hate pineapple”, Alex declares when he stings himself again on the fruit and he throws the leftovers they don’t need in the bin, an annoyed expression on his face. “Like, really.”

“FIFTEEN MINUTES BAKERS, FIFTEEN MINUTES LEFT!”, Jenson yells from the front and George turns towards them, a determined expression on his face. “Okay lads, the cake looks good, let’s decorate it. Lando, you- wait no, Alex you are responsible for the buttercream. Lando, you place the fruit on it and sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes over it.”

“And you are doing what?”, Lando asks amused, wiping his hands clean on a towel and nudging him gently, a soft smile on his face. George squeezes his ass after making sure no camera is around and he reaches for a piece of pineapple and a knife. “I’m gonna try and make a flower with this.”

They work for a bit in silence and Lando glances over, laughing. “George, mate, this looks like a butterfly.”

“Yeah, it has wings”, Alex agrees, licking some buttercream from his fingers (and it tastes _good_ \- he’s really proud of them) and George flips them off, grinning. “Shut up.” 

-

“To make the crumble topping, sift the flour, cinnamon and salt into a bowl”, Kimi reads out, frowning at the recipe. “What’s ‘sift’, Seb?”

“I don’t know how to explain this.” Seb stares at him before reaching for a sieve and follows the recipe, handing Kimi the almonds. 

They have their loaf already, it’s a bit too soft for Seb’s taste but time’s running out, Charles has asked him at least twenty questions in the last hour and he curses whoever put Charles’ and Pierre’s kitchen station behind theirs. 

“Oh, this is bad”, Seb mumbles when the crumble takes too long to ... well, crumble and Kimi stares at the almonds. “Why are we using them? I don’t even like almonds.”

“It’s for the flavour-“

“I don’t like them”, Kimi repeats and Seb closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He _knows_ Kimi despises almonds, he lives with that man for eight years by now.

He summons all the patience he normally reserves for Ferrari’s bullshit and he gives Kimi a small smile. 

“Yes, but we need them so _please_ put them over the cake?” 

Kimi grumbles quietly but follows his order and Seb prays their cake will at least taste good. 

-

They forgot their cake in the oven, it’s nearly black and Kevin grits his teeth. It’s not just that they have an insane amount of sponge cake now; they have an insane amount of _burned_ sponge cake and he glares at Hulk. 

“If you had kept an eye on it-“

“Oh, so it’s my fault now?!”, Hulk hisses and Kevin flips him, not so subtly, off. “Well, obviously? I was busy washing the berries!” 

They’d also the only ones next to Charles and Pierre who have not done a buttercream which means they can’t even cover up their mess- 

“FIVE MINUTES!”, they hear Jenson’s voice from the front and Hulk scowls. “I knew I’d lose with you.” 

His words hurt and before Kevin can think about it he takes one of the blackberries and throws it at Hulk. His teammate dodges it just in time, glaring at him. 

“You’re the most unsportive baker in the tent”, he hisses and Kevin narrows his eyes. “Suck my balls, honey.”

He just wants this weekend to be over. 

-

“Aaaaand, time’s over, step away from your bakes and move them to the side please!” Jenson grins and a collective sigh goes through the tent. Max takes a deep breath, their cake looks ... okay, a bit uneven but they covered it in buttercream and rose petals and he hopes it will be enough. 

“For the very first time the bakers will face the scrutiny of Romain and Christian - our absolutely unbiased judges”, Jenson grins, “will come to each team and taste the cake. God, I’m excited for this.”

“After, they’ll decide who won the challenge”, Toto adds and they make their way to Lewis’ and Nico’s station first.

It’s a three-layered sponge cake, topped with buttercream, kiwis, mangos, pineapples and other tropical fruits and Max has to admit it looks good. Not as good as theirs, of course, but good. 

“You think it will taste good?”, Dan mumbles into his ear and Max gets shivers at his voice so close, nodding while watching Christian cutting a slice. 

Romain and Christian taste it, both looking quite happy and Max sighs inwardly. Of course, Nico and Lewis are also good at baking. Why is he even surprised? 

“I love this”, Romain says and Christian nods, tasting some of the kiwis with the cake. “It has great texture, really lovely.” 

“Thank you”, Nico says, he and Lewis look pleasantly surprised and while they don’t talk to each other there’s a smile on both of their faces. 

Toto, Jenson, Romain and Christian step next to their station and Max really wants to take Dan’s hand but then he reminds himself that this is just a stupid cake. 

And he really has no reason to be nervous. And it doesn’t matter anyway. 

But they did put a lot of work in it and- 

He starts breathing again when Daniel nudges him gently, his hand subtly caressing his back for a second without anyone noticing and Romain cuts them a slice from their three-layered Strawberry and Rose Cake.

Max really likes their cake. And it looks pretty. Uneven but pretty. 

He is ready to defend their cake. 

“It’s nice but the icing is slightly crystallised and the cake is a bit uneven, the strawberries mushed together”, Romain comments and Christian shrugs. “I think it’s great.” 

He gives Max and a small smile and Max breathes out, Dan grinning broadly. “Thanks.”

“Does it taste good?”, Max asks, trying not to sound too challenging and Christian nods. “Really lovely.” 

“It’s alright”, Romain says cautiously, he doesn’t look too convinced and Max decides he does not like Romain anymore. 

The judges wander to Seb and Kimi next and Max closes his eyes, his heart racing. Why on earth did that make him so nervous?! It’s just a cake. 

A cake he put a lot of effort into. 

“It looks ... well, not really spectacular”, Christian comments and Max turns around, watching him cut a slice from the brown loaf cake, topped with a bit of icing and almonds and Seb shrugs, biting his lip. “We tried but we both don’t have much baking experience.”

“It does taste really nice though”, Romain says after taking a bite ('What a traitor', Max thinks) and Christian nods slowly. “Yeah, the flavours really do come through.”

Hearing his team boss talk about cake flavours is probably the most ridiculous thing Max has ever heard and he exchanges another amused look with Alex and Pierre, all three of them grinning again. 

Dan next to him has put an arm around his waist, the cameras too focused on Christian and the other three who now make their way over to Alex, George and Lando. 

Lando looks absolutely terrified, staring at their judges with fear in his eyes and Max doesn’t really know why - their cake looks absolutely spectacular.

He’s not sure what the thing on top is supposed to resemble but apart from that? It has layers, it has buttercream, it has pineapple. 

It looks nearly professional and Max never thought his friend is such a talented baker. Or the other two. 

He is a bit proud of his best friend. 

“Wow, look at that cake!” Jenson looks equally stunned and Romain gives the three younger drivers a warm smile. “It does look very promising, the appearance is fantastic.”

He cuts a piece, gently dropping it on a plate and Max has to admit it also looks really good from the inside. Certainly not as squished as theirs.

The judges taste and Christian looks actually surprised now. “Boys, this is amazing!” He stares at them and Romain nods, swallowing. “I love the texture, it’s not too soggy, the fruits mix perfectly, you have distinctive layers and you balance the coconut brilliantly in the buttercream.”

“You really think so??” Lando stares at him incredulously and Romain smiles. “Yes.” 

Lando, George and Alex grin proudly, looking visibly relieved and Max instinctively smiles as well - he’s happy for them. Especially for Lando. 

“I wanna taste that cake”, Dan mumbles next to him and Max nods, watching their hosts and judges move on to Kevin and Hulk. 

And their cake- well, if anyone wants to know what ‘disaster’ means they should just take a look at their cake. 

It’s a stack of at least ten thin sponge cakes, most of them burned, a few sad berries completing the look and Max doesn’t know if he should feel sorry for Hulk or not. 

He knows his friend has a huge crush on Kevin since years already and they all heard them argue just a few minutes ago. Charles even stepped on the berry Kevin threw at Hulk. 

Their cake is a perfect metaphor for their relationship and Romain doesn’t look too excited to taste ... that. Max really has no words to describe it and he slowly understands why Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry and Prue Leith (Daniel told him before that they are the actual judges) backed out when Formula One and Channel 4 asked them. 

“It certainly looks interesting”, Christian comments dryly while somehow trying to cut a slice without the whole cake crashing and Jenson raises his eyebrows. “Was this improvised, how did this happen?”

“I can’t work with him.” Hulk shrugs and Kevin rolls his eyes. “Honestly, you-“

“Maybe you should stop the arguing”, Toto interrupts them, a sharp edge to his voice, “because, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, your cake is the worst of all.“

“I, unfortunately, have to agree.” Romain pulls a face after tasting, giving his teammate an apologising look. “It’s just-“

“Horrible, unacceptable and if I could I would fire you”, Christian finishes his sentence and Romain sighs. “I mean, even as amateur bakers you could have tried.”

He shakes his head, looking a bit disappointed and Max bites his lips - he doesn’t know what to feel but having their fellow drivers get told off isn’t really a great feeling. 

Even if they really deserve it. 

Kevin and Hulk don’t say anything, staring at different points in the tent and Jenson sighs. “Anyway, moving on.”

They step to Charles and Pierre, they both look insecure as well and Max moves around Seb to get a better look at their cake. 

It’s ... not really breathtaking but it’s not as bad as Kevin’s and Hulk’s. But Max also doesn’t think anyone’s cake could be as bad as that monstrosity. 

It’s a simple two-layered cake with fruits on top, Max thinks Daniel's and his was definitely better and Romain raises his eyebrows, giving them an encouraging smile. 

“Simplicity is not a bad thing”, he says while Christian starts cutting the cake and putting a slice on a plate. Their faces stay neutral while tasting and Romain clears his throat. 

“Unfortunately boys, it’s overbaked”, he says and Christian nods, still chewing. 

“Very dry, you should have added the buttercream - that’s definitely missing”, he manages to say after he swallows and Pierre’s shoulders sack a little, Charles biting on his bottom lip. “What about the fruits?”

“I mean guava is a bold choice and it goes well with bananas but I have to agree with Christian, you could’ve done well with some frosting or buttercream.” Romain frowns and Charles sighs, running a hand through his hair while their judges and hosts head back to the front. 

“I don’t think we have to discuss much for this one”, Romain starts a small smile on his face and Christian nods. “Lando, Alex, George, really well done. It was amazing.”

They clap, George grinning and Lando yells a loud “YES BOYS” which makes Max snorts - his best friend is an idiot. And he really deserved that win. 

“I really want that cake now”, Daniel mumbles and Max snorts, shaking his head amused. He is pretty sure he beat Charles in that challenge and that's all he wanted.

“Okay guys, we have a two-hour filming break now, there’s some lunch for you outside if you want - yes Lewis, there’s also vegan food - and we meet here at 2 pm for your Technical Challenge”, Jenson announces and they scatter outside, Max falling on the grass in the shadows. 

He feels oddly exhausted.

The cameras aren’t around and Dan sits down next to him, handing him a cold Red Bull. 

“I think we didn’t do too bad”, he says, there’s a grin on his face and he stretches lazily. “Christian told me on the buffet we came third in the challenge.” 

They high-five each other and Max takes a sip from his energy drink, knowing they still have the Technical Challenge ahead of them. 

His smile widens when Lando, George and Alex come towards them, falling on the grass and Max nudges Lando gently. “Well done, mate.”

“Thanks. Most stressful experience of my life, worse than every qualifying.” Lando grins and George snorts, taking a sip from his water bottle before leaning against Alex, Lando’s head in his lap. “And we still have two more challenges.”

“Don’t remind me”, Daniel mumbles and he shakes his head incredulously. “I never thought baking a cake could be that exhausting?? I thought you just mix some stuff together, put it in the oven and that’s it.”

“We were fools”, Alex comments dryly and Max grins. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Hulk and Kevin, arguing (or discussing?) close to the tent, Hulk gesticulating with his arms while Kevin just stares at him, a coke in his hand. 

Nico and Lewis are not around and Charles and Pierre are talking with Seb and Kimi at the buffet, all having a plate with food in their hands. 

Max isn’t really hungry and he crosses his legs, leaning against Daniel who wraps his arms around him. They’re both sweaty from the heat in the tent but Max doesn’t mind, enjoying the fresh breeze outside. 

He never knew it can get that hot in England in the summer. 

“What do you think they give us for the technical challenge?”, Alex asks and Dan frowns. “So I was watching an episode of the Australian Bake Off with my Mama and there they had to make Raffa Cakes-“

“You mean Jaffa Cakes?”, George interrupts him with a frown but Daniel shakes his head. “Nah, Raffa Cakes.”

“The fuck are Raffa Cakes?!” Max stares at him and Daniel shrugs. “Like Jaffa Cookies?”

Lando snorts but before they can brainstorm more about the looming Technical Challenge they’re called for more interviews. 

-

“I think our win was definitely justified”, Lando says and Alex nods. “Yeah, we put a lot of effort into this.”

“We’re just happy at the moment but still focused, of course”, George adds and they share a grin. “I think the others underestimated us a bit and didn’t think we were a serious threat.” 

-

“I mean was our cake uneven? Maybe. Were the strawberries squished? Absolutely. But it tastes good and that’s all that matters. I’m proud of Max and myself.” Dan shrugs, grinning and Max nods. 

“Yeah, it was a good start and we didn’t mess it up like ... other people, so we count that as a win.” 

And the fact that they were better than Charles. 

-

“It was a disaster.” Charles shrugs, biting his lips. “There’s no other explanation for it.” 

Pierre next to him nods with a grave expression on his face. “We somehow really messed that one up. But we are determined to do better in the next challenge and show everyone that we are serious competition.” 

“Or it will end in another disaster.”

“Shut up, Charles.” 

-

“Look, was their cake really the best? I don’t know. But ours was clearly within the top two so we’ll take that.” Lewis shrugs. “And they put effort into this, they deserved it.” 

“Maybe they can transform that energy to the track as well.” Nico grins but there’s no malice behind his words and from the corner of his eyes he sees Lewis smile. 

They’ve been the first ones to congratulate the three after leaving the tent. 

-

“Look, we know it wasn’t our best bake yet but it was okay.” Seb shrugs, running a hand through his hair. “The judges said it tasted amazing and that’s what counts.”

“Are you going to try and work on your decoration skills?”

“I mean we have to I guess. There’s still the Showstopper Challenge.” Seb smiles and Kimi nods. “It will be fine.” 

-

Kevin and Nico were not available for a short interview, having to sort out their differences. 

-

“Alright bakers.” Jenson is beaming, he seems to really enjoy his new job and Charles supports his chin on one hand, eying him warily. He doesn’t trust any of these challenges. 

Pierre next to him is biting his lips, clearly nervous to see what’s under the towel on their station and Jenson clears his throat. 

“For your Technical Challenge, which was set by Christian by the way,” that gets him a few surprised looks from the drivers and Charles raises his eyebrows, “he chose something quintessentially British. More British than George Russell.” 

Jenson grins and a few of them laugh, Charles still eying him with distrust. That does not sound good. 

“You have one hour and forty-five minutes to bake a Walnut Cake - not Coffee and Walnut, simply Walnut - and Romain and Christian won’t be there during your challenge”, Toto announces, looking at their judges. “Any words of advice?”

“Read the recipe at least twice and weigh carefully”, Romain says and Toto turns to their other judge. “Christian?”

“Good luck.” Christian smirks before leaving the tent with Romain and Charles groans, his head connecting with the table. 

Fuck his life, seriously.

-

“Where do you think they could go wrong?” Romain and Christian are sitting in a smaller tent outside, a beautiful Walnut Cake in front of them and Romain leans back at Christian’s question, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

“Well, first of all, they have to make a sponge mixture and chop the walnuts in.”

“And the walnuts can’t be too big otherwise they’re sinking to the bottom”, Christian adds and Romain nods. “Exactly. The recipe only gives them a temperature but no time so that’s definitely also going to be a challenge.”

“Absolutely.” Christian grins and his eyes fall on the cake. “And there, of course, should also be a nice, even layer of frosting around the cake.”

“It is quite a tricky challenge for beginners”, Romain admits, “but as long as they stick to the recipe, read it carefully and have an eye on the time they should be fine.” 

-

Hulk bites his lips nervously, the mood between them is still tense but they talked - well somehow. Romain’s and Christian’s critique had hurt them both more than they thought and they can make this work. 

Have to make this work and Hulk knows there are people watching this who might genuinely be rooting for them. And they’re professionals after all. 

He takes a deep breath, reading through the recipe, his brain somehow trying to cope with all the English. He doesn’t want to say that the British drivers have an advantage but ... his head hurts a little. 

It’s hot in the tent and Hulk clears his throat, turning to his partner. “Could you preheat the oven? I would start mixing the butter and sugar together.”

Kevin nods shortly, turning towards the oven and Hulk takes a deep breath, weighing the butter. 

Baby steps. 

-

“This is ... a lot”, Seb says slowly while staring at the recipe and Kimi nods, narrowing his eyes. “We have to caramelise walnuts?!”

“Oh god”, Seb mutters and he takes a deep breath. “Okay, we are going to approach this logically. We start with-“

“Seb, how do we cut the walnuts?” Charles pops up next to him, an angelic smile on his face and Seb raises his eyebrows. “You’re not supposed to be here, do you know that? I’m not allowed to help you.” 

And he doesn’t have the time but he doesn’t say that. He has always had a soft spot for Charles. 

“Yeah, but we are really lost?” Charles pushes his bottom lip forward and Seb hates it. Hates that Charles, who is 22, pouts and gives him puppy eyes and it _works_. 

“Okay look”, he sighs, grabbing a few of their walnuts - Kimi just looks lost but goes to preheat the oven and Seb starts chopping walnuts, Charles watching him closely.

“Okay, but how do I know they’re ‘finely chopped’?” He raises his eyebrows and Seb opens his mouth but Charles keeps talking, clearly frustrated. “I mean, they-“

“Sebastian, this is a competition!”, they hear Jenson yell in an amused voice from the front and Seb waves dismissively, focussing his attention back to Charles and the walnuts. “Look, just go with your gut feeling-“ 

“But that doesn’t say anything!” Charles frowns, taking a walnut and popping it in his mouth before pulling a face. “Ew.”

Seb sighs deeply, this is going to be a disaster. 

-

“Oh my Lord we have to work with frosting and buttercream, oh dear Lord”, Lando mutters, pacing through their kitchen station and George stops him by his shoulders when he passes him again.

“It will be fine”, he says with a firm look, looking directly into his eyes, “understood?”

“But there is so much that can go wrong-“

“It simply won’t.” Alex shrugs while weighing their ingredients and Lando chews on his bottom lip. “You sure?”

“And if we fix it. We’re a team.” George shrugs before he pulls Lando in a quick hug, resisting the urge to press a kiss on his hair. “Okay?”

“Okay”, Lando mumbles, giving George a small smile before he steps back, taking a deep breath. “So we start with the cake...”

They work in silence for a while, George giving them orders from time to time and it works actually quite well - until George curses, nearly running towards the oven. 

It smells burned and he stares at their burned cake - luckily it’s just one of their three layers. “Shit!” 

He feels the panic building up inside him but before he can do something Alex and Lando are next to him, Lando putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry-“

“Uh, boys, it smells a little bit burned over here.” Jenson comes towards them, a smile on his face but there’s worry in his eyes and Lando gives him a broad grin while Alex throws the cake away. 

“It’s the kind of burnt you like”, he explains and Jenson raises his eyebrows, an amused smile playing around his lips. “Really?”

“We’ve got everything under control”, Alex says calmly while gently shoving George to the work station. “George, make another sponge cake, Lando you’re responsible for the frosting.” 

Jenson watches them work with a soft smile. 

-

“We have to do _what_ now?!” Charles stares at the recipe with a desperate expression in his eyes, his hair held back by a black bandana and he groans, burying his face in his hands. “This is a nightmare.”

“Caramelise the walnuts”, Pierre reads out loud, he’s next to him and he groans as well. “How- that’s sticky as hell!”

They stare at each other helplessly and Charles’ gaze falls back on the recipe, a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

“Pierre, never ever in my life have I done frosting!” Or at least not that kind of frosting, he did go skiing but he somehow doubts these two things are connected. 

“It’s the thing that’s on cupcakes-“

“I know what frosting is, I just have never _done_ it!” Charles runs his hand through his hair, stressed, ruining it completely in the process and he decides to do the only reasonable thing: he goes to the person who has always helped him at Ferrari as well.

“SEB!” 

-

“So walnuts. What do we do about them?” Dan eyes them cautiously and Max shrugs, chopping them in quarters. “This should be fine, right?”

“Are you sure?” Daniel frowns and Max shakes his head, a grin on his face. “No.”

“Great.” They stare at each other, Daniel grinning as well and they chop the walnuts into quarters before adding them to their sponge mixture and putting the cakes in the oven. 

Max keeps pacing, he has a bad feeling about this and he chews on his bottom lip before he freezes, turning towards Daniel. “There was no time given on the recipe!”

“Oh no”, Dan mumbles, squatting down in front of the oven and staring inside. “How long-“

“Fifteen minutes maybe?”, Max suggests, he has absolutely no idea - Daniel is the one who watched Australian Bake Off with his Mama. He should know.

Daniel nods, still staring at the cakes with a deep frown and Max squats down next to him, both of them watching their cakes carefully. 

When they pull them out after fifteen minutes the walnuts have sunk to the bottom and it’s still gooey in the middle. 

“Fuck”, Max summaries what they’ve both been thinking and they push the cakes back inside, praying they can fix this mess. 

-

They work way more efficiently than before and Lewis divides the mixture of their sponge cakes equally between the three tins, Nico opening the oven. 

They push the cakes inside and Lewis takes a deep breath. There was no time given in the recipe but he guesses it will be around twenty to twenty-five minutes.

“You two are quite ahead of schedule”, Toto comments when he comes over to their station and Lewis nods while Nico ignores their host completely, preparing everything for the sugar. He nearly runs into his former team boss and Lewis sighs. 

“Toto, you’re in the way you need to _move_ ”, he says firmly, pushing him a bit to the side so Nico can get everything he needs and Toto raises his hands defensively, a grin on his face. “Sorry, sorry.”

He steps to the side, watching them work and Nico turns to Lewis, a frown on his face. “It says here we only need one hundred gram of caster sugar - it’s not much, is it?” 

Lewis steps next to him, ignoring the strong scent of Nico’s aftershave that brings back so many memories and his eyes skim over the recipe. 

“It isn’t but we should stick to the recipe”, he says after a moment, looking up into Nico’s blue eyes. “Especially after Romain mentioned it again.”

“Alright.” Nico accepts that without an argument, going to weigh the sugar and Toto watches them with a soft smile - he knew they could do it. 

-

“The frosting is still too liquid!” Lando stares at the bowl, the cake is ready for the frosting but the frosting is not ready for the cake and Alex frowns confused. 

“Okay, but we did everything like in the recipe, right??”

“I thought so.” George is leaning over the counter, the recipe in front of him and he frowns. “I-“

“TWENTY MINUTES BAKERS!”

“We are going to die”, Alex mumbles. 

“Oh for God’s sake”, Lando mutters, mixing harder and George takes a deep breath. They somehow managed to fix his baking fail from before and they won’t give up now. 

“Lando is having a crisis right now”, Alex tells the camera and George holds back a smile. 

“Okay, Alex, make more frosting, maybe we get it right this time, I’m gonna try and get the walnuts caramelised”, he orders and Alex does what he says without discussion, getting a second bowl. 

They’re a good team - George just hopes it’s enough. 

-

“Could you hand me the bowl with the walnuts please?”, Kevin asks quietly and Hulk looks up, surprised at the sound of his voice. They haven’t talked much during the process, dividing the tasks evenly between them and while their walnuts are covered in way too much caramel and the buttercream is ... well ... a bit too soft, it’s way better than the last time. 

At least their cakes aren’t burned. 

“Yeah, sure.” Hulk hands him the bowl, their hands touch for a second and Kevin nearly drops the bowl, deep red flushing his cheeks. Jesus Christ, he acts like a teenager. 

‘Get a grip, Magnussen’, he tells himself and Hulk bites his lip, the smile he gives him nearly ... insecure?? Yeah, Kevin is sure he’s slowly losing his mind and he dips a few more walnuts in the caramel.

“They look good”, Hulk suddenly says and Kevin nearly drops the walnuts before staring at him incredulously. Did he really just-

“Well, look at you two, all quiet and working.” Jenson’s voice makes them look up, their host is grinning and he gives them an interested look. “So how are you doing?”

“Good”, Hulk answers before Kevin can say something and he’s smiling again, clearing his throat, “good. Probably still won’t be enough but eh...” 

He makes an undefined gesture at their cake and Jenson nods, raising his eyebrows impressed. “Looks good. I will let you two get back to work then.” 

He leaves and Kevin takes a deep breath, his heart still beating fast in his chest from the accidental touch. 

Just today and tomorrow and then he can go home and doesn’t have to see Hulk for the rest of the summer break and can cry over his stupid crush. 

-

“I absolutely hate frosting”, Pierre mumbles, trying his best to whisk it over the boiling water. “The recipe says whisk for eight to ten minutes until it’s thick but? It doesn’t turn thick?”

“Tell me about it”, Charles mumbles, staring at his sugar in the pot he tries to melt to caramelise their walnuts. It doesn’t do shit though and he has the feeling one hundred gram we’re not enough.

“SEB I AM HAVING A BREAKDOWN, THE SUGAR IS NOT MELTING!”, he then yells, Jenson has long given up on stopping him but Seb is busy at the moment, only shrugging and Charles stares at the sad mess in his pot with a desperate expression before reaching for the sugar.

“Fuck the recipe”, he mumbles, adding more sugar - it _is_ sticky, it’s just not caramel and he keeps stirring. 

“The caramel should be a rich golden brown”, Jenson says at that moment in the front and Charles looks back at his pot, the sugar still white. 

“Well fuck me.”

-

“TEN MINUTES BAKERS!”

“FUCK!” 

“MAXY WHERE IS THE SPOON?!”

“I DON’T KNOW, DANIEL!”

“THE WALNUTS ARE TOO BIG!”

“I KNOW!” 

“We have to improvise.”

“Yep.”

“God, we are so fucked. Still love you though.” Daniel laughs when Max kicks him before reaching for more raw walnuts, decoratively sprinkling them over their cake. 

He’s pretty sure it’s going to be a disaster. 

-

“It’s taking too long!” Lewis stares at the caramel - or what is supposed to be caramel soon - in the pot, stirring and praying it melts quickly. 

“It’s taking as long as it takes”, Nico says calmly while applying the last layer of icing on the outside, adding a few soft swirls to make it more aesthetically pleasing. 

Lewis is still shifting nervously on his spot, this is worse than qualifying and he has an eye on the clock while the sugar finally, _finally_ turns into a rich golden brown. 

He dips a few walnuts in, praying their drying in time and he takes a deep breath. 

“I don’t know about that, man.” 

“Shut up, Lewis, it’s a masterpiece.” 

-

“Seb”, Kimi says slowly, he just came back from helping Charles (he has a soft spot for him too and while Seb normally enjoys it they’re really struggling with the little demon right now) and he leans against the counter. “I don’t want to be negative but our walnuts are burnt.”

“They’re not burnt, just ... toasted?” Seb gives him a weak smile while fishing his walnuts from the caramel and placing them on their icing which is - for whatever reason - melting. 

“TWO MINUTES!”, Jenson calls from the front and Seb watches his cake anxiously - he knows Charles’ and Pierre’s cake looks worse, there’s only one walnut on top of their Walnut Cake but still. 

He actually thought they had a chance. 

But looking at their sad mess of a cake he isn’t too sure anymore and Kimi puts a comforting arm around his waist, giving him a small smile. 

“At least the buttercream and frosting tastes good.”

-

“Alright bakers, bring your cakes to the front and place it behind your picture”, Toto instructs them and Pierre takes a deep breath before lifting their cake up.

He knows they don’t really have a chance but they _tried_ and that shit was hard and at least they have layers. 

Alright, every one of them has layers but _still_. 

Two days ago Pierre wasn’t even sure if he knew how to make them and he places the cake behind a picture of Charles and him. 

He steps back in line next to Charles, his boyfriend squeezing his hand reassuringly while giving him an apologising look. 

“I’m sorry”, he mumbles but Pierre just shakes his head, his heart rate picking up when Romain and Christian come back. 

“Oh, this looks promising.” Romain has an easy smile on his face, he seems to be really enjoying this and they cut a piece from the first cake - it’s Lando, George and Alex’s and it looks really nice.

Pierre notices how Lando looks nervous, Alex is fidgeting and George has a stoic expression on his face, watching their judges taste the cake. 

“Oh, I like this one”, Christian says and Romain nods. “Good appearance and nice layers, and it tastes really good.”

They move to the next cake, it’s Max’s and Daniel’s and Pierre sees Lando breathing out in relief. Max meanwhile stares his team boss down who just took a bite, frowning. 

“It looks nice but it’s very grainy”, he says slowly and Romain nods. “The sponge is a bit too soft and the nuts are too big.” 

The next cake they taste is theirs and Pierre wishes he could take Charles’ hand - especially when he sees the incredulous look on Romain’s face. 

“Well, we have an icing and ... layers”, he says slowly while cutting the piece. “And one walnut.” 

“The nuts are all crammed in one area and it’s also very grainy - the bits are too big”, Christian comments and Romain also doesn’t look too happy while tasting. 

Pierre’s shoulder sack and he swallows dryly, Charles giving him a short smile. 

The next cake that is being tested is the one from Nico and Lewis and Romain nods impressed while cutting. “Very neat frosting, the appearance is great.”

“And it tastes amazing”, Christian adds, chewing. “The texture is fantastic.”

Nico and Lewis exchange a satisfied grin and Pierre smiles sadly - he saw them work. And after that first cake, he didn’t expect anything else, to be honest.

The next cake is Seb and Kimi’s and Seb doesn’t look too convinced - their cake seems to be melting and Romain raises one eyebrow at it.

“It’s ... a lot of buttercream”, he comments slowly, “and a bit big.”

“And it doesn’t taste that good either, unfortunately”, Christian adds and Romain nods. “Yeah. It’s just ... drowning in buttercream.” 

Seb sighs quietly, Kimi rubbing his back comfortingly while Romain and Kimi are at the last cake: Kevin’s and Hulk’s. 

Pierre would lie if he said he’s not excited for this one. 

“It has a nice layer, the nuts are chopped well in there”, Romain says, tasting it and he smiles. “And it tastes okay.”

“The icing is slightly crystallised-“ Pierre still finds it so weird to hear his boss talk about this so naturally, “but it’s alright. It’s a decent cake.”

Hulk and Kevin look genuinely surprised before they share a quick smile and Romain and Christian quietly discuss for a moment, Pierre taking a deep breath. 

He knows Charles and he will probably be last - he just hopes they can save it with the last challenge tomorrow.

“Alright, we will start from the back”, Romain says when he turns around again and Christian points to Charles and Pierre’s cake. “Sorry guys but this is P6.”

Pierre holds back a smile at that and they sigh, having expected that.

“P5 goes to that one”, it’s Seb and Kimi’s cake, “and P4 to this one.” It’s Max and Dan’s and Pierre can see Max shrug, not looking too bothered. 

Kevin and Hulk look actually shocked to not be in the bottom and Christian points towards their cake. “P3.” 

That leaves Nico and Lewis, and George, Alex and Lando - all five look a bit nervous suddenly. 

Romain makes a dramatic pause before he grins. “P2 goes to this one”, he points towards the cake on the right, “meaning this cake is our winner.”

Lewis and Nico won and somehow Pierre is not surprised. 

“It’s a perfect cake, beautiful sponge, it has great layers, it’s exactly what we asked for”, Romain explains and while they all clap, Nico and Lewis both grinning broadly, Toto, who’s standing in the background with Jenson, looks a little proud. 

Pierre can’t blame him and he hopes tomorrow will go better for them.

-

Lando wakes up around 1 am, cuddled up between his two boyfriends in the big hotel bed and he smiles sleepily. He knows he should go back to sleep, tomorrow is going to be exhausting but right now he’s just happy. 

They’re actually not failing and while tomorrow might be a disaster (they don’t know the cake yet they have to bake) they at least can’t get the last place anymore. 

They’ve been too good for that. 

His whole body hurts from standing and running around the whole day, the shower after they came back has felt like a nice relief and he’s still a bit sore from ... what they did after that shower. 

Lando smiles, cuddling up against Alex, George is behind him, an arm around his waist and Lando closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He falls asleep between his two favourite people in the world with a smile on his face. 

-

“We definitely deserved that win”, Lewis says the next morning during their interview and Nico next to him nods. “Absolutely. We put hard work and effort into this and it was great.” 

“Do you think you have a chance to win this?”

“Definitely.” Nico looks confident and Lewis smiles. “But we also have a really tough competition so this won’t be easy.”

-

“Boys, you surprised everyone with your talent and time management skill yesterday - do you think you have an actual chance to win this?”

“I sure hope so.” Lando grins, adjusting his sunglasses. “Otherwise it would’ve been a lot of hard work for nothing.”

“Who do you think is your toughest competition?”

“Nico and Lewis for sure.” Alex frowns and George nods, running a hand through his hair. “They’re really good but we’re confident we’re going to win this.” 

-

“You two made a staggering comeback in the second challenge yesterday.”

“Yeah, we ... talked and it worked quite well after.” Kevin shrugs, giving Hulk a hesitant smile and Hulk returns it. “Yeah, after the Technical Challenge we realised we can actually be competitive.”

“So you’re planning on winning this?”

“Aren’t we all?”

-

“Do you think you have a chance to turn things around?”

“Not really.” Charles shrugs, stifling a yawn - he slept badly last night and Pierre smiles tentatively. “The others are just really good.” 

“Which does not mean we’re going down without a fight”, Charles adds, putting an arm around Pierre’s shoulder. “It just means we are really sure we won’t win - except all the others get stomach flu and have to leave the competition.”

-

“Yeah, Charles cost us quite a bit of time yesterday but it’s okay. We chose to help him.” Kimi shrugs and Seb nods. “And we made quite some mistakes on our own.”

“Where do you think you are right now in the competition?”

“Eh, probably in the bottom half.” Seb gives Natalie a crooked grin, running a hand through his hair. “We didn’t do that well.”

“Do you think you can still win this one how?”

“No”, Kimi answers shortly and Seb smiles. “He’s right but we’re definitely excited for the last challenge. And who knows, maybe we’ll at least move up in the top half.”

-

“It was pure chaos yesterday.” Max shakes his head and Dan grins, his hand touching Max’s, the camera not catching it. “It was fun though.”

“Who do you think is your toughest competition?”

“Uhhh, good question.” Daniel frowns, thinking for a moment. “My first instinct is Nico and Lewis or the kids but honestly? At this point, I think we’re fighting for third or fourth place.”

“Yeah, I agree and I’d probably say Kevin and Hulk”, Max adds. “They’re serious competition since they got their shit together.” 

“Are you happy with your performance so far?”

“It was a solid midfield performance.” Daniel shrugs and Max smirks. “Something Daniel has experience with.”

“Oi, you bastard!” Daniel laughs loudly, the look he gives Max nothing but fond before he turns back to the camera. 

“It might not have been our best day but we certainly won’t give up. Maybe Max just has to unleash the lion.”

“I really hate you sometimes.” 

-

“One challenge remaining. One last opportunity to claim the win, a final chance to avoid the last place”, Jenson starts when they're all back in the tent the next morning before a huge smile spreads over his face. “Good Morning, bakers, I hope you all slept well.”

“Our last challenge is the Showstopper Challenge”, Toto explains and he gives them a warm smile. “We want you to make a Chocolate Collar Cake.”

“A what?”, Max asks confused and Romain smiles at him. “A Chocolate Collar Cake - it’s a Chocolate Cake but surrounded by a collar of chocolate.”

That ... doesn’t help Max at all but he trusts the recipe and Daniel’s Australian Bake Off knowledge. 

He kind of regrets having never watched the Dutch version of Bake Off with his Mum or sister, labelling it as ‘stuff for women’. 

Max sometimes really wants to hit his younger self. 

But he also knows where that influence came from and Christian’s voice helps him to focus on the present again. 

“What we’re asking for in this challenge is that you show off, impress us. Do your very best, wow us and don’t forget the time.” Christian smirks and Toto nods, stepping next to him. 

“You have three and a half hours”, he says, his face serious, “get on your marks, get set ... BAKE!”

-

“You know”, Kevin starts casually while breaking the chocolate into smaller pieces, “we actually have a chance to win this challenge.”

Hulk, who has leant over the recipe, turns around and raises his eyebrows - but there’s a small smile playing around his lips. “You think so?” 

“I mean, we can read the recipe and we came third in the Technical Challenge yesterday.” Kevin grins, he’s surprisingly calm - they’d needed that moment of success yesterday. 

“I agree. And”, Hulk hesitates before he comes closer, taking a deep breath and Kevin frowns, what-

“You are actually a pretty good partner”, Hulk ends quietly and _is he blushing_?! Kevin is pretty sure he’s imagining that now but his heart beats faster nevertheless and he clears his throat.

“You’re also a quite decent partner”, he manages to say and Hulk’s smile does things to him, his belly fluttering. 

They stare at each other for a moment, completely forgetting that cameras are pointed at them and Hulk clears his throat.

His cheeks are still slightly pink. 

“Alright, let’s win this shit with as less chaos as possible, alright?”

“Deal.” They shake hands, Kevin’s heart beating hard against his chest.

“Well look at you two, getting along. I have to say I’m impressed.” Christian’s voice makes them look up, their judge has come over to their station with Romain and Jenson and he gives them a challenging look. 

Hulk has the feeling he doesn’t like them very much.

“So what are you doing?”

“We’ve decided we’ll go with a Chocolate Orange Collar Cake”, Hulk says calmly, flashing Kevin a quick smile. “It’s quite some work but we’re excited about it.”

“Well that does sound better than the last time, doesn’t it?” Jenson grins and Kevin bites his lips, nodding. “Yeah, we talked about it and we’re going to make the Chocolate Cake the Danish way.”

“It definitely sounds interesting - good luck.” Romain gives them a warm smile, he looks a bit proud when his eyes land on Kevin and they move on to the next station. 

Kevin takes a deep breath. 

Let’s win this challenge. 

-

“I see you boys are going for the Coconut and Pineapple combination again?”, Jenson asks when coming over to their station and Alex nods. “We really liked what we did in the first challenge but we’re adding white chocolate.”

“It’s a White Chocolate Piña Colada Collar Cake”, Lando explains, looking proud and Romain gives them a small smile. “It sounds like a lot of work.”

“We know but we are confident we can do this.” George puts an arm around Lando and Alex, smiling and Alex nods. They know it’s a lot of work, they know it’s challenging but they want to win.

And for a win, you have to take risks. 

“We’ll leave you to it then, good luck.” Christian gives them another smile, squeezing Alex’s shoulder before moving on and Alex can’t stop the warm feeling spreading through his chest. 

He knows Christian actually favoured Max at the beginning but seeing that he seems to be genuinely proud of him- Alex hopes he can carry all of what he did here back to the race track. 

“Alright, let’s impress your boss, Alex.” George smirks, looking back at the recipe. “Okay, Lando, you’re taking care of the sponge cakes, Alex...”

George gives them tasks again, they have a routine by now and they work in silence for a bit, chatting. 

That is until Alex realises his chocolate is not melting.

“GEOOOOORGE, THE CHOCOLATE DOESN'T MELT!” 

“Give it time, we have the right temperature- LANDO, STOP EATING THE DOUGH!”

Lando giggles, Alex grins and George groans, shaking his head while going back to his pineapple.

-

“We’re doing a Chocolate Fudge and Salted Caramel Creation, it’s going to have four layers of dark chocolate cake filled with salted caramel swiss meringue buttercream and salted caramel sauce, topped with whipped chocolate ganache and a drizzle of extra caramel”, Nico explains to the judges and Toto and Romain raises an eyebrow. “That ... sounds like an ambitious cake.” 

“And we have seven championships between us so we should be okay.” Lewis smirks, whisking the dough for the sponge cakes together and Romain raises his hands defensively, laughing. 

“Okay, okay, I’m not saying anything. And you’ve proven to be quite efficient so I’m sure it will be alright.”

“Just make sure you keep an eye on the time”, Christian adds, looking at all their ingredients but Lewis just waves dismissively. “We’ll be fine.” 

Nico nods, he’s a bit intimidated by the fudge and caramel parts but he trusts Lewis. They might argue a lot and have done really well so far in the competition but he knows they can’t allow themselves any mistakes now. 

-

“Pierre.” 

“What.” 

“I forgot the sugar.” 

“How did you forget the sugar?!” 

“Well it’s white and I thought it was already mixed with the flour but it wasn’t and then I saw it standing there-“ 

“Oh my god.” Pierre buries his head in his hands, he loves Charles, he really does but his boyfriend is the most useless person in the world when it comes to cooking or baking. 

“This is a nightmare we have to start again, we can’t present them a cake without sugar in it-“

“What if we say it’s a diet-version?”, Charles suggests and Pierre stares at him with raised eyebrows. “Charles, no!” 

“Fine”, Charles grumbles, glaring at Pierre while throwing the dough away and Pierre takes a deep breath. The last two days have been ... stressful, to say the least, and have really put his relationship with Charles to a test. 

He really thought they’d work well together but apparently they don’t and he gets the ingredients to redo the dough. 

“Boys, what is your plan for today?” Jenson shows up at their station with Christian and Romain in tow and Pierre curses them in his head - this is bad timing. 

He makes a gesture for Charles to explain while he starts weighing the flour again and Charles clears his throat. 

“We decided to do a Champagne and Strawberries Eiffel Tower Collar Cake”, he explains and Romain stares at him. “...what?”

“It consists of three square-layered cakes”, Charles tells them seriously, “covered in strawberry- and champagne-flavoured buttercream. Strawberries will be on top and we will paint the Eiffel Tower in dark chocolate around.”

“I admire your courage to do something this ... ambitious”, Christian says slowly, his eyes flickering over to Pierre and is there something like worry in his eyes? “But-“

“You said we have to impress you so we’re doing that.” Charles shrugs, a little bit helpless. “And we’re desperate - what do we have to lose?” 

“Fair point.” Romain nods, they move on and Charles reaches for the champagne bottle. 

“I always hate opening these”, he mumbles and Pierre looks like he wants to say something but then there’s a loud ‘plop’, something shatters and Charles stares at him with wide eyes. 

“I think I just destroyed a light bulb.” 

-

“Max, stop eating the raspberries!” Daniel mock-glares at him and Max grins sheepishly, quickly popping another one into his mouth. “Sorry.” 

“You can’t eat all of our berries, we still need them”, Daniel adds but Max just grins, wiping his hands clean on his apron. “Yeah, yeah.”

Eating the raspberries at least gives him something to do, their cakes are in the oven right now and he goes back to pacing through their station. 

“Is it baked yet?”, he asks for the at least fifth time and Daniel rolls his eyes, stopping him when he passes him again.

“No and it won’t bake any quicker the more you ask”, he answers amused and Max takes a deep breath. He’s nervous, he really wants to do well in this challenge and Daniel lets go of him when their judges and Jenson approach them.

“So what are you two making, talk us through it”, Christian starts with an encouraging smile and Daniel clears his throat. 

“It’s a Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Collar Cake”, he explains, nodding at their leftover raspberries. “It has three layers of dark chocolate cake, filled with a raspberry-flavoured buttercream and it’s glazed with a raspberry-chocolate ganache and has obviously the chocolate collar.”

“Sounds really good”, Romain remarks and Max nods, leaning next to Daniel against the counter while impatiently keeping an eye on their cakes in the oven. 

God, two weeks ago he had thought he’d never use words like ‘ganache’ or ‘frosting’ and discuss the texture of a sponge cake with his boyfriend and team boss. 

He has to admit that he actually really likes it - he might not be Starbaker and they might not win this but he does have fun and Daniel next to him nods at Romain’s statement. 

“If it tastes good I’ll make this cake for a wedding.” The _our wedding_ goes unspoken but Max notices the small smile Daniel flashes at him and he clears his throat, nodding in agreement. 

“Yep, it’s a good wedding cake. Are these done yet?” He paces back to the oven, not noticing the small smile Daniel and Christian exchange and Jenson laughs. “Well, good luck you two.” 

-

“I added the raspberries, it should be- oh fuck”, Seb mutters and Kimi looks up from mixing the buttercream, a frown on his face. “What?” 

“I might have just taken Daniel and Max’s raspberries”, Seb whispers, looking at his strawberries covered in white chocolate, panic in his eyes and Kimi bursts out laughing. “You stole their raspberries?!”

“I didn’t steal them, I-“

“Sebastian and Kimi, how are you two?” Jenson appears with Romain and Christian at their station and Seb stares at him with wide eyes. 

“I might have just stolen Daniel and Max's raspberries”, he confesses and for a second it’s quiet before their judges and Jenson burst out laughing. 

“I _told_ you I didn’t eat that many!”, Max exclaims, shoving Daniel slightly who is laughing as well - both have turned around, watching them with a grin and Romain shakes his head amused. “We’ll keep it in mind while judging. What are you two making?”

“A Raspberry and White Chocolate Collar Cake”, Kimi says shortly and Seb nods, his eyes wandering over the drying raspberries, their cakes are in the oven. “Yeah. We .... okay yeah no, we are not confident but we both like raspberries and white chocolate and thought it would be a good combination.”

“It is”, Romain encourages them and Jenson smiles. “We are definitely excited how it will turn out.”

"We too", Kimi mumbles. 

“Good luck”, Christian says with a small smile and Seb groans when they move on, exchanging a desperate look with Kimi. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

-

Lewis sees Nico staring at the recipe and he knows that look in his eyes. Knows it too well, especially because Nico has been staring at the recipe for at least two minutes now without moving and then he suddenly turns around and walks out of the tent.

Lewis takes a deep breath, everyone is staring after Nico and he makes sure nothing is in the oven or on the stove before running after him, Jenson looking confused.

He finds Nico under a big tree, legs pulled up, tears in his eyes and Lewis sits down next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Nico just shakes his head, drawing in a shaky breath and Lewis pulls him in his arms, his hand stroking reassuringly over his back. He knows Nico is having a panic attack right now or is at least close to one. 

“I can’t do this, Lew”, Nico whispers under tears, his voice shaking, “it’s too much, I can’t do it, I-“

“Yes you can”, Lewis interrupts him gently, pressing a soft kiss on his hair, knowing there are no cameras around at the moment, “yes you can. We are doing this together, baby, okay?”

Nico looks up, his blue eyes filled with love and he nods shakily, smiling weakly. “You sure?”

“Absolutely.” Lewis kisses him softly and when he pulls back, there’s a determined expression in his eyes. “We are a team and we are going to win this. And now _breathe_.”

“Okay”, Nico mumbles, squeezing his hand for a second before letting himself get pulled up and hugged by Lewis. “Thank you.” 

Lewis just hugs him a bit tighter and Nico dries his tears - Lewis knows how rare it is that Nico has doubts. Or shows that much vulnerability. 

They head back to the tent, letting go off each other’s hands when they step back inside and Jenson and Toto throw them worried looks. “All good?”

“Yeah.“ Nico smiles, taking a deep breath before following Lewis back to their station. They have lost ten minutes with this but they can still make it. 

-

“Ouch”, Kevin hisses when he burns his hand on the baking tray, rubbing the spot and he grits his teeth, nearly dropping the cake. 

Before he can though Hulk is there, taking the trays from him and placing them on the counter before squatting down next to him, a worried expression on his face. “Are you okay?”

“Just burnt my hand”, Kevin mumbles, biting his lips when Hulk’s expression grows even more concerned. “It’s ok-“

Hulk gets up, walking to the front to get a medical kit he saw there yesterday and Kevin stares after him, genuinely surprised. It’s fine, he can just hold it under cold water-

Jenson, Toto and their two judges look just as surprised when Hulk comes back, taking care of Kevin’s hand, his touch gentle and Kevin takes a deep breath, his heart beating faster again. 

What the actual fuck is happening?! 

They both ignore the fact that there’s a professional medic present who could’ve taken care of his hand. 

-

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god”, Lando mumbles, tears dwelling in his eyes when he pulls the cakes out and sees that they’re burned on the edges. “FUCK!”

He’s normally not one for loud swearing but he’s desperate, the panic spreading through his chest and he stares at the cakes. They’re not going to win, they’re going to lose-

“Hey, it’s okay.” Alex hugs him from behind, George appearing next to him and he nods, running his hand soothingly through Lando’s hair. “It will be fine, we will fix it.”

“How?! We don’t have the time to bake a new one, we can’t-“

“We’re just covering up with buttercream, let it sit for a bit and decorate it properly”, George says calmly, they took Lando in the middle and talking quietly, making sure the cameras didn't pick anything up. 

“I promise, it will be alright okay? Happened to the best of us.” George gives him a small smile and Alex nods supportingly, looking at the recipe. “If we start the buttercream now George can take care of the collar and we should be fine.” 

Lando takes a deep breath, he suddenly gets why Nico left the tent and he sees the worried looks Max, Nico and Lewis throw at him. He gives them a small smile, glad that he has Alex and George with him and he takes a sip from his water bottle before getting back to work. 

-

“This is a mess”, Seb mumbles, trying to somehow wrap the collar of white chocolate Kimi made before around the cake - it doesn’t work. The recipe says ‘press firmly’ but he’s scared to press _too_ firmly and there are already cracks in the chocolate. 

“There go all my hopes and dreams…”

He knows they’re going to fail again and he groans, the whole cake is soggy and he gives up, looking at Kimi who’s sitting on the floor, his back against one of the counters and he’s eating ice cream. 

Seb really envies him for his cool sometimes.

“We are going to lose”, he states matter-of-fact but Kimi just shrugs, looking unbothered. “We did our best, there’s not much more we can do now Seb.”

He’s right.

Seb sighs, falling down next to him and taking the ice cream Kimi offers him with a small smile. 

The cake had gone alright but he still hasn’t figured out baking and he doubts he - or they - ever will. The buttercream is a mess, the raspberries look ... okay and might be the only thing that’s saving them from the last place.

What a weekend. 

-

“TEN MINUTES BAKERS!” 

“We applied the buttercream too early”, Daniel states while staring at the cake and Max glares at him, somehow trying to stop the buttercream from running down on the edges. “No shit, Sherlock.”

“I wanna go home”, Dan whines while laughing and Max snorts. “Forget it, you’re stuck with me until the bitter end. We are finishing this mess now.”

He adds their dark chocolate collar, the cake is still too warm, the collar melting a little and Max groans frustrated while Daniel watches him with a soft smile. 

Seeing how competitive Max got in a _baking competition_ is not something he had thought he'd ever see - especially after Max declaring a few days ago that he really isn’t into ‘shit like that’. 

It’s good for him, Daniel notices, he seems to genuinely enjoy himself (maybe not right now with their cake melting but, you know) and he watches Max placing the cake in the fridge, slamming the door shut.

“Let’s pray it stops melting”, he grumbles, “God, this is worse than crashing your car into the barriers during formation lap.” 

Daniel laughs. He knows they won’t win, not the challenge nor the competition, but they both had fun and he offers Max the bowl with the leftovers from the buttercream. 

Max stares at it for a moment before a small smile spreads over his face and he gets a spoon before pulling himself up on the counter, eating from the bowl. 

Daniel stares at him, Max’s apron full with dough and flour, his legs dangling down, his hair sweaty, a happy smile on his face while spooning the buttercream, looking so carefree that Daniel’s heart doubles in size.

-

“FIVE MINUTES LEFT!” 

“WE HAVE NO TIME LEFT WE ARE GOING TO DIE!” Charles runs past Pierre, French swear words falling from his lips while he tries to fix their cake with buttercream, some layers have broken while they tried cooling it with their baking tray (given, not their best idea) and Pierre tries to somehow paint the Eiffel Tower with liquid chocolate on it.

“Does this look like the Eiffel Tower?”, he asks, his voice stressed and Charles stares at him. “I don’t know?? You’re French!” 

“This is bad, this is so bad”, Pierre mumbles, trying to somehow wing the shape a bit more but it looks more like a grid and their cake sinks a little in the middle. 

“Oh no”, Charles mumbles, adding more buttercream and they both ignore Jenson who shows up next to them. 

“This looks ... interesting”, he comments while he eyes the empty champagne bottle curiously and Charles snorts. “It’s not supposed to look like that.”

This was the worst idea they’ve ever had and Charles regrets all his life decisions that lead up to this day. 

Become a race driver, they said. It's fun, they said. 

Jenson keeps walking, visiting the others but they’re too focused to notice, Charles assisting Pierre in painting the Eiffel Tower but it looks more like a cube with squares. 

He doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry, he’s sweating, a bit out of breath and he never knew that baking could be this intense. Or exhausting.

“Time’s up, bakers, step away from your cake!”, Toto calls from the front and Charles drops his tools, exchanging a helpless look with Pierre. His boyfriend shakes his head with a weak smile and raises his hand.

Charles high-fives him before downing his water bottle, shaking his head as well, leaning against Pierre. 

What a mess.

-

“It’s time to find out who won the challenge and who will be our Starbaker team”, Jenson starts, looking relaxed and Kevin takes a deep breath. He’s nervous, their cake looks- well, it doesn’t look _bad_ but he also saw Lewis and Nico’s cake.

Or Lando, Alex and George’s. 

They all really underestimated the kids.

“I want to start with saying I’m really proud of all of you”, Romain says, a warm expression in his eyes. “We certainly didn’t make it easy for you and you all delivered.”

“More or less”, Christian adds but he is smiling as well, his gaze lingering on Alex, Pierre and Max for a second. “You all did really well and can be proud of yourself.”

“We all are grateful you accepted to be a part of this”, Toto says, smiling and Jenson nods. “And we hope it was as much fun for you as for us.”

“Debatable”, Charles mutters under his breath and Kevin snorts, Hulk next to him grinning. They’ve gotten along really well during the last challenge and he doesn’t know what to make of it - are they friends now? Maybe even-

“We’re going to start with Max and Daniel, who baked a Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Collar Cake”, Jenson starts and Kevin watches Max and Daniel bringing their cake to the front, Christian cutting a slice.

The cake looks okay: a bit melted, maybe not enough raspberries on top but definitely very, very chocolate-ly and Christian nods slowly. “It tastes really good, I like it.”

“But it’s just ... a mess”, Romain adds with an apologetic expression. “The layers are too uneven, the frosting melted a bit and you didn’t use enough raspberries.”

“That is not their fault though”, Jenson chimes in, giving them a small smile. “Seb accidentally took theirs.”

“Oh, alright.” Romain nods and Max shrugs, leaning against Daniel. He looks exhausted and Kevin can’t blame him - they all are.

“As long as it tastes good”, he comments and Daniel grins before they’re going back to their station. 

“Nico and Lewis made a Chocolate Fudge and Salted Caramel Collar Creation”, Toto explains while Nico and Lewis bring their cake to the front, Christian cutting the cake and Kevin has to admit the cake looks spectacular. 

The buttercream on top is immaculate, the collar has the perfect height and the cake is topped with whipped chocolate ganache and some extra caramel.

“This is exquisite”, Romain states after tasting it, staring at the cake in awe. “I’m- wow. Speechless.”

“It’s really good”, Christian nods, looking actually surprised. “The texture is fantastic and the caramel is absolutely on point.”

“Thank you so much”, Lewis says quietly, Nico is blushing and Christian gives them a rare smile. “You can be really proud of yourself for this one.” 

Kevin notices how Lewis squeezes Nico’s hand quickly, both smiling at each other and they look nearly ... soft with each other. 

Kevin frowns. That’s unusual. 

The next two are Seb and Kimi, the cake looks melted as well and Seb places it in front of the judges before stepping back next to Kimi, giving Jenson a small smile. 

“Sebastian and Kimi baked a Raspberry and White Chocolate Collar Cake”, Toto says calmly and Romain throws them an apologetic look after tasting. “The sponge is too soft and the collar is not applied properly.”

He’s right, it’s breaking a bit and Seb sighs but nodding, smiling slightly. “Yeah, it’s a mess but it’s okay. I’m used to disappointment, I’m a Ferrari driver.” 

That was the absolute last thing Kevin expected from the usual so diplomatic Sebastian Vettel and they all burst out laughing, even Toto and Christian grinning. Apparently Seb is really not giving any fucks anymore now that he’s leaving the team. 

“I love the combination of the raspberries with the white chocolate but it’s just not good enough”, Christian states after they all calmed down a little and he shoves the slice of cake a bit around on the plate. “I don’t like it that much, I’m really sorry.”

Kevin feels a bit sorry for them but he knows Seb and Kimi won’t take it too much to the heart - Kimi is whispering something into Seb’s ear, his former teammate smiling and they look quite content walking back to their station. 

“Alex, George and Lando baked a White Chocolate Piña Colada Collar Cake”, Jenson explains, George carrying the cake to the front and carefully placing it on the table before going back to his two teammates. 

They took Lando in the middle, they’re holding hands and Kevin has to admit he has a soft spot for them. They all do. 

Their cake looks good too, it’s beautifully decorated with pineapples and some coconut sprinkles and Kevin sees Lando anxiously watching Christian cut a slice. 

“I really like it-“ 

“I love you”, Lando interrupts Romain who raises his eyebrows, “however,-” 

“Oh. Right.” Lando grins sheepishly and Romain sighs but there is a small smile on his face. “The frosting is not very good.”

Christian just shakes his head though.

“Boys, I’m so impressed”, he says after he tasted it, a proud look in his eyes. “This is amazing.” 

“Yes, it is really good, the texture is brilliant and you nailed that Piña Colada taste”, Romain adds, eating another forkful of cake. “The only critique I would have is, as I mentioned, the frosting. And that it’s a bit too much buttercream for my taste.”

“Thank you so much”, Alex whispers, his voice shaking slightly and Christian gives him a warm smile. “Well done, Alex.” 

Next ones are Charles and Pierre and Kevin knows that for them everything went wrong that could’ve gone wrong. Pierre is carrying the cake, placing it in front of his boss with an apologising look. 

It’s obvious that some layers broke, Kevin is not sure what exactly the cake is supposed to resemble and Pierre bites his lips, stepping back next to Charles who rubs his back comfortingly. 

“Charles and Pierre baked a Champagne and Strawberry Eiffel Tower Collar Cake”, Toto says calmly and Romain bites his lips after tasting, looking incredibly sorry. 

“It’s overbaked and drowning in buttercream”, he says with a sad smile, looking back at the cake. “And it really does not represent the Eiffel Tower, I’m so sorry.”

“Is there a cake in there as well?”, Christian asks and Charles snorts. “There’s just the rest of my career.” 

The others start laughing and Kevin grins, Christian shaking his head amused. 

“It’s also very soggy”, he adds and Kevin’s heart breaks when he sees tears in Pierre’s eyes. “We really tried”, he whispers, Charles still soothingly rubbing his back, “but it just all got too much.”

“I know you did and I’m really proud of you, Pierre”, Christian says calmly before walking towards him, surprising them all when he pulls Pierre in a hug. “And it’s okay.”

That … is definitely a new side of Christian Horner after all the Gasly/Albon drama last year, Kevin thinks while watching them curiously. Who would’ve thought that a baking competition is a right step to solving Red Bull's problems? 

Christian steps back, Charles hugging Pierre and Lando, Alex and Max join the hug. They give their friend a few minutes, moving back to their station and Kevin realizes in horror that it’s their turn now. 

He turns to Hulk, trying not to panic and his teammate gives him a small smile, his thumb caressing his hand, sending shivers through his body. 

“We’ll be fine”, he whispers before easily lifting their cake and they make their way to the front, Hulk looking completely unbothered. 

“Kevin and Nico decided to go for a Chocolate Orange Collar Cake”, Jenson explains and Hulk puts the cake on the table before stepping next to Kevin, giving him a small smile. 

“It definitely has a good appearance”, Romain comments while Christian cuts the cake, “I love the orange slices on top, the collar sits neatly and the buttercream is not melting.”

He gives Kevin a small smile and Kevin smiles back, taking a deep breath. 

“The taste is good, you managed to blend the orange perfectly with the chocolate”, Christian comments. “I know your chocolate cake is very moist but I think that’s a thing with Danish chocolate cakes?”

“Yeah.” Kevin takes a deep breath, his heart beating fast in his chest and Romain smiles. “Really well done, very rich on the chocolate flavour. It’s a bit too soggy at some spots and a bit overbaked but you could definitely serve that at a birthday party.” 

“Nailed it”, Hulk mouths at Kevin and Kevin laughs breathlessly, his brain needing a moment to actually realize what just happened. 

They’re not last and while they might not have won, they’ve at least not failed completely. 

The others come forward as well now, they are standing in one line and Jenson clears his throat. 

“After two days filled with blood, sweat and tears”, he starts, grinning, “two intense days of baking, of reaching your limit and breakdowns, it’s time to find out who is our Starbaker team.”

“We want to mention again how proud we are of all of you”, Toto adds, smiling. “The teams enjoyed all your creations and were very happy to receive the labours of your work.”

“And who knows, maybe you have discovered a new hobby.” Romain grins and Christian laughs. “You’re all always welcome to bake for my kids.”

“Yeah, we’ll talk about that”, Kimi grumbles but there’s the hint of a smile on his face and Jenson clears his throat. 

“We will start from the back again: P6 ... I’m sorry boys but P6 goes to Charles and Pierre.” He throws them an apologising look, they’re all clapping and cheering and Pierre smiles, dried tear tracks on his face. “It’s okay.”

He nudges Charles gently and Charles nods, grinning. “We’re going to practice and next year we’re going to kick all of your asses.”

“ _Next year_?!” Max looks actually horrified at that and Toto smiles before clearing his throat. “P5 goes to Sebastian and Kimi.” 

They cheer again and while Kimi shrugs, not seeming to care, Seb smiles. “At least we’re not last.” He winks at Charles and Kevin grins, his heart beating faster. 

They’re not in the bottom two, that is _insane_. 

He’s pretty sure Nico, Lewis, Alex, George and Lando will be the top two so it’s Hulk and him against Max and Daniel. And that alone is unbelievable-

“P4...”, Jenson pauses dramatically, his eyes wandering over the remaining teams and he smiles, “goes to Max and Daniel, congrats.”

Holy _shit_. Kevin stares at Hulk incredulously while the others cheer, Max winking at Hulk and Daniel grins broadly. “That’s okay, four is solid.”

Max and he high-five, they don’t look too bothered by their fourth place. 

“This means P3”, Toto smiles and for a second Kevin dares to hope but, “goes to Kevin and Nico.”

“What a sensational comeback from you two, who would’ve thought that yesterday morning?!” Jenson shakes his head amazed and Kevin’s heart stops for a moment when Hulk pulls him into a spontaneous hug, lifting him up a little. 

“Proud of us”, he mumbles and Kevin blushes deeply, tentatively wrapping his arms around him. He’s smaller than Hulk and he hates how much he likes the hug. 

“This leaves only two teams.” Jenson grins and Kevin hesitantly steps back when Hulk lets go of him again - they actually finished in third place.

After that disaster yesterday, after all the arguing and yelling, they finished third and he wants nothing more than to keep hugging Hulk and he subtly steps a bit closer to him, his heart beating faster when he breathes in his familiar aftershave. 

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Hulk grin and Kevin decides to ignore it. Bastard. 

“Both teams did incredibly well and kept surprising our judges with every challenge”, Jenson continues and Toto grins. “Both of you finished on the podium but who will get to claim first place?”

“We have no champagne bottles to spray around though”, Jenson says with a smirk. “And no trophies.” 

“I want to add that it was incredibly tight and we really had to look for the details here”, Romain adds. “You did better than we could’ve ever imagined it.”

Lando is grinning by now, still holding hands with Alex and George and Kevin sees Nico subtly reaching for Lewis’ hand as well, squeezing it slightly. 

“The winners of this special edition of The Great British Bake Off are...”, there’s another dramatic pause, Alex biting his lips while Nico is a bit pale, “NICO AND LEWIS!”

They all erupt in cheers and shouts, Lewis has actual tears in his eyes while hugging Nico before they get hugged by Jenson, Romain and even Christian and Toto and while Lando, Alex and George look a bit disappointed, they’re also smiling and hugging each other. 

“GET IN THERE LEWIS!”, Daniel yells from their left and Alex laughs, Lewis just shaking his head while hugging Nico tightly and Jenson smiles. “Alex, Lando, George, congratulations to an absolutely amazing second place - I’m sure no one expected that in the beginning and you can be so proud of yourself.”

“They all underestimated you and you proved them all wrong”, Toto adds, a warm smile on his face. “You did incredibly well.” 

Lewis is still hugging Nico, he looks something between relieved and happy and Toto gets a flower bouquet, handing it to them with a warm smile. “Congratulations, you are not just both World Champions but also the Starbakers of this special edition of Bake Off.”

“Thank you so much, man.” Lewis looks touched, clinging on to the flowers for dear life and his gaze wanders to Lando, Alex and George. “Man, I’m so proud of you guys - all of you. What an experience, I’m just feeling blessed right now and I definitely didn’t expect that when we started the competition.”

He walks over, hugging them as well, ruffling Lando’s hair. “You did so well and would have deserved it so much.” 

“You were our hardest challengers and as Lewis said, you did so well”, Nico adds, hugging Alex and George with a soft smile. “We are really proud of you.” 

“Thank you all so much for participating and for giving your everything”, Toto says, turning back to the camera while the drivers keep hugging and congratulating each other, “it was such a joy spending this weekend with you and seeing the drivers out of their natural habitat.” 

-

“We still can’t believe our win, to be honest”, Nico says, leaning against Lewis with a happy smile, “it was a rollercoaster of emotions but so worth it.”

“It was an amazing experience and I’m just grateful that we got to be a part of it”, Lewis nods, smiling in the camera. “The win is just the cherry on top even though Lando, Alex and George would have deserved this as well. But it does feel good.”

“And it was absolutely deserved, we delivered in every challenge.” Nico shrugs a small grin on his face and Lewis nods. “Yep, absolutely. Still we rise, guys, still we rise.” 

-

“Look, do I think we deserved the win? Absolutely. But Lewis and Nico are alright as well, I guess.” Lando shrugs and Alex laughs, running a hand through his hair. “The two days were pure chaos but also so much fun.” 

“And I’m just so proud of these two”, George adds, putting an arm around Alex and Lando. “We really worked as a team.”

“What is the first thing you will do when you get back home?”

“Sleep”, Lando replies dryly before he laughs. “And maybe stream a little, tell Chat about what happened. Without spoilers, of course.”

“But definitely not bake for a while.” George grins and Alex nods. “We’re just exhausted.” 

-

“It did not all go according to plan but we are okay with that.” Seb shrugs, Kimi, who’s eating ice cream next to him again, nods. “It is what it is.”

“Would you change anything if you could?”

“Not talk to Charles”, Seb says dryly and laughs when Kimi nods in agreement. “He’s a little demon and stole us quite some time. But it was our own fault.” 

“Are you very disappointed about the fifth place?”

“Not really. It was a competition, yes, but most importantly it was for charity and we did have a good time - and learned quite a lot.” Seb smiles, running a hand through his hair, feeling lighter than he has in months. 

“And I got to spend time with Seb. It was fun”, Kimi agrees and Seb smiles, secretly squeezing his hand where the camera doesn’t catch it. 

-

“My Mama said I don’t even have to come back home when we finish last so it’s good to know I still can go back”, Daniel jokes a huge grin on his face. “I’m sure she’s proud of us.”

“Yeah, my Mum already texted me asking how we did”, Max says with a small smile, lifting his phone up. “She was really happy I agreed to do this.” 

“Do you think your fourth place was justified?”

“Yeah I mean, there were a few things we maybe could’ve done better but we are not last so we count that as a win.” Max shrugs, he’s grinning as well. “It was way more intense than I imagined though.”

“Yeah, we definitely need a break”, Daniel agrees, adjusting his sunglasses while lazily running a hand through his hair. “This came close to a Singapore race, we are just exhausted.” 

-

“When did you two realise you might actually have a chance?”

“After the first challenge”, Kevin explains and Hulk next to him nods. “We really messed that one up and realised we can’t continue like this. That there are people who might be rooting for us.”

“We talked during our lunch break, decided to pull ourselves together and it worked really well.” Kevin smiles, stealing a shy glance at Hulk who is smiling as well. “Third place is amazing and I can’t believe that my first podium in Formula One happened during a Baking Competition.” 

“You can be really proud of yourself, guys.” Natalie smiles and Kevin nods. “Who knows, maybe I’ll bake something at home now.” 

-

“Are you very disappointed about coming last?”

“I mean, of course, but it’s okay.” Charles shrugs, a small smile on his face. “We both had absolutely zero baking experience and for that, we still did quite well.”

“And it was fun somehow”, Pierre adds. “So stressful and intense but fun. Not sure if I’d do it again - we might need to practice a bit before that - but it was two great days.”

“And we learned a lot - for example, that I do not like guava.” Charles grins while Pierre rolls his eyes but they’re both smiling again, the stress from the last two days gone and Natalie shakes her head amused. 

-

A few hours after the winning team got announced, when no hosts or judges or cameras or members of the film crew are around anymore, evening dawning, the drivers meet next to the tent for a picnic. 

They raided the local Tesco, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer before, buying food and drinks and they got their cakes from the last challenge with them for dessert. Lewis and Nico organised huge picnic blankets and now they’re all sitting below the trees, chatting and enjoying the warm summer evening. 

Hulk hesitates, his eyes wandering over the present drivers. His gaze lingers a moment too long on Kevin who’s talking with Seb and Kimi at the moment and he flinches when Max suddenly shows up next to him. 

“You should talk to him”, he comments and runs a hand through his hair - he’s still not wearing a cap. “It went well today, didn’t it?”

“Yeah but what if he just pretended? For the cameras and all.” Hulk keeps staring at Kevin, not noticing how Max rolls his eyes. “Just do it, you will be fine, okay? I promise.” 

Hulk sighs again before he nods, walking towards the small group, clearing his throat when he reaches them. He hates how nervous he is. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” He turns to Kevin who looks up, surprise visible on his face and it’s quiet for a moment, Seb and Kimi exchanging a knowing smile. 

Hulk feels his heart beating high in his throat, his hands getting a bit sweaty. What if he says no-

“Sure.” Kevin smiles easily, a beer in one hand and he follows him away from the group, over the ornamental wooden bridge further over the grounds. They sit down on a few steps in front of the country house and Hulk takes a deep breath. 

He has no idea what to say. 

Kevin seems a bit nervous as well now, peeling on the label of his beer bottle and avoiding his gaze. It’s not dark yet, the sun setting over the grounds, dipping everything into a soft, orange light and it’s still warm, the laughter and chatter of the others drifting over with a light breeze. 

“You wanted to talk?”, Kevin breaks the silence and Hulk nods, biting in his bottom lip. “Right.”

He’s rarely so insecure but- this is Kevin. The person he has had a crush on since years and he has the feeling they might have gotten a bit closer in the last two days. 

But Kevin is straight, right? He’s had girlfriends before, is a Formula One driver. The chance that he reciprocates his feelings is slim. And they just started to get along - somehow. 

He actually wants to keep that. 

But he just has to try and if Kevin goes back to hating him after that he’ll survive as well. He might suffer for a few weeks, eating an unhealthy amount of ice cream and he might have to leave the country and avoid everything Danish but life goes on and-

“Nico?” Kevin’s soft voice interrupts his thoughts and Hulk lifts his head, looking into a pair of concerned blue eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He forces himself to smile before he decides to act on his gut feeling. He leans forward, hesitantly pressing his lips against Kevin’s and he’s surprised when Kevin immediately kisses him back, putting his arms behind his neck and pulling him closer. 

What- this is definitely _not_ what he expected-

“Oh thank god”, Kevin mumbles against his lips, sounding relieved - he’s so close that Hulk can smell his aftershave and he can’t hold back a smile, his hands wandering over Kevin’s sides and pulling him closer. “What?”

“I-“ Kevin stops, blushing before he smiles. “I had hoped you’d do this. You’re not fucking with me though, right?”

“I would never”, Hulk assures him, pulling him back into another kiss and he feels Kevin relax under his touch, one hand buried in his hair. 

Hulk deepens the kiss, his stomach fluttering and he can’t believe this is happening. Can’t believe after all the drama this weekend he actually got so lucky and his hand caresses Kevin’s cheek, smiling when Kevin leans into the touch. 

He still can’t believe it. 

-

“So what’s the deal with you two?”, Charles asks Nico and Lewis, they’re all sitting on the picnic blankets in some kind of circle and Seb holds back a smile - Charles, as blunt as always. 

Hulk and Kevin are still missing but Seb doesn’t worry too much (he has a feeling he knows what they are doing) and he leans against Kimi, watching how Nico blushes a little and Lewis fiddles with the hem of his T-Shirt. 

“We’re married”, he says calmly, his voice a stark contrast to his fidgeting and it’s dead silent for a moment, Pierre nearly choking on his beer while Max stares at them. “You’re _what_ now?!”

“But we thought you hate each other?!” Charles looks just as stunned as the rest of them. “You kept ignoring each other in public for _years_!” 

Kimi nods, raising one eyebrow. “You yelled at each other in the tent and kept arguing.”

“Yeah, because we normally avoid competitions since 2016.” Nico smiles sheepishly while leaning against Lewis, reaching for one of the vegan snacks Lewis bought at Waitrose. “We are both very competitive and stubborn and that doesn’t always end well.”

“You don’t say”, Kimi deadpans, and Seb grins while Lewis leans against Nico, resting his head against his shoulder. 

“It was a challenge.” Lewis shrugs before cutting himself a slice of the vegan cake he bought, Nico offering their Chocolate Fudge and Salted Caramel Creation to the others. 

Seb has to admit it does taste fantastic, Charles is at his second slice already (their trainers are gonna have a field day with them the second they’re all back in their routine) and Seb’s eyes fall on Lando. 

He has been suspiciously quiet, sprawled half over George and Alex, and he looks sleepy, stifling another yawn while nursing on his water bottle. Sleepy but happy.

Alex is playing with his hair, leaning against George who seems to be talking with his Mum on the phone, a happy expression on their face, telling her all about today. 

-

“You want to take a walk?”, Daniel murmurs in Max’s ear, they’re sitting under a blanket below one of the big trees, listening to the others talk and Max nods, getting up. 

He’s glad to get an opportunity to stretch his legs a bit, to get a bit of peace and while he enjoys hanging out with the others he misses some alone time with Daniel. And it’s actually really nice here.

He slips his hand in Daniel’s, leaving his drink and food behind (Max is sure he ate enough cake for a year) and they walk through the park, the sun slowly setting. 

It’s not completely dark yet, a warm breeze around them and Max takes a deep breath letting the sweet summer air fill his lungs, Daniel’s thumb caressing the back of his hand. 

They walk over the grounds, Max slipped out of his shoes, enjoying the feeling of the soft grass below his feet and he stretches a little. He’s exhausted but happy in a strange way - like after starting at the back of the grid and still finishing in the points, close to a podium. 

They might not have won but he really enjoyed himself and they stop under a few more trees, fairy lights hanging in the branches and Max smiles. 

“It’s pretty”, he remarks, knowing he can say it without anyone judging him for liking fairy lights and Daniel smiles. “Just like you.” 

God, he’s so cheesy. And Max loves him so fucking much. 

He rolls his eyes with a fond smile, they didn’t see Hulk or Kevin anywhere and Daniel stops walking but not letting go off Max's hand. “Are you okay?”

His voice is quiet, soft as if he doesn’t want to disturb the peace surrounding them and Max nods, taking another deep breath. He feels calm and he wants to ask Daniel the same but when he looks back to him, Daniel has gone down on one knee, a small box in his hand and Max stares at him, his heart beating fast in his chest. 

What-

“Max”, Daniel starts quietly, a smile playing around his face and Max notices that his hand is shaking slightly, “I love you so much. More than I ever loved someone and the last three years have been the best of my life.”

His voice is thick with emotion and Max’s throat tightens, tears prickling in his eyes. Is he really-

“This weekend- it just showed me once again that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Daniel clears his throat, there are tears shining in his brown eyes and he opens the box, revealing a silver ring. 

“I want to spend more weekends with us baking stuff that will end in a disaster, I want to have more cake fails, seeing you sitting on the counter, eating buttercream and being happy. I want to spend every day of my life with you, the good and the bad ones.” 

Max stares at the ring, his heart beating so fast he’s sure Daniel must hear it and he puts a hand in front of his mouth, a tear running down his cheek. He normally would have wiped it away, annoyed with himself for getting so emotional but- 

“Max Emilian Verstappen”, Daniel starts, his voice breaking a little, “do you want to marry me?”

It’s all Max has ever wanted, his emotions washing over him like a wave and he nods, more tears streaming down his face. 

“Yes”, he whispers, “yes, I do.”

Daniel smiles, looking relieved before he slips the ring on Max’s finger. 

Max escapes a sob before he throws his arms around Daniel, pulling him into a messy kiss and he knows they’re both crying by now. Daniel’s lips are warm and taste sweet from the cake and a bit salty from the tears and just like home and Max hugs him tightly. 

Daniel is his home away from home, his everything. 

“I love you”, he whispers and Daniel smiles, kissing him slowly, his big hands running up and down Max’s spine. 

“I love you just as much”, he answers quietly before he lifts the box the ring was in and Max blinks when he realises-

“That’s _cake_?!” The cake meme appears in front of his eyes and Daniel laughs, nodding under tears. “Romain and I baked it - he knew. The ring is real though, don’t worry.”

That just makes Max cry even more while laughing with tears in his eyes, his heart tripling in size for the man in front of him, the effort he put into his proposal- 

He kisses him again, wishing this night would never end. 

-

Seb smiles when he sees Max and Dan come back an hour later, holding hands and both nearly glowing with happiness - Seb doesn't miss the new silver ring on Max’s hand. Or the way they keep looking at each other, not able to stop smiling. 

Kevin and Hulk are back as well, not cuddling as obviously as Charles and Pierre (who are still trying every single one of the cakes, quietly talking in French and exchanging soft kisses) but they’re sitting close, Hulk having an arm around Kevin’s shoulder and they’re smiling, looking happy. 

It’s peaceful and Kimi’s hand is running up and down Seb’s thigh while he’s eating his third ice cream of the day. 

“It was fun”, he mumbles barely audibly to Seb and Seb grins. 

He knew Kimi would enjoy it and while they might not have won it doesn’t matter. They all definitely grew closer during this experience and he grins when Lando forces them all to take a group selfie. 

It’s a messy picture, Lando had to use the flash of his phone given that it’s dark already, a few torches are around them giving off a bit of light, Charles holding his plate with a slice of cake in the camera, Daniel grinning broadly and Seb is pretty sure at least one of them has their eyes closed but they all look happy.

Exhausted but so happy and Lando settles back next to Alex after posting the picture on Instagram, grinning. “You all have to admit it was fun!”

“It was pure chaos”, Nico comments dryly and Hulk grins. “Yeah, but good chaos.”

“I never knew that baking is so exhausting - I should have listened to my Mama.” Daniel grins, Max cuddled into his side and Pierre nods, running a hand through his hair. “Imagine doing this for _ten weeks_.”

“I’m gonna miss it in a strange way though”, Lewis throws in and George nods. “It was good fun and it is actually a pretty good team building? Imagine you have to do it with your teammate-“

“I’m definitely _not_ baking with Carlos next year”, Charles interrupts him and Kevin grins. “I support that idea, I’d definitely win with Romain.” 

"And Lando did really well sooo..." Daniel laughs when Max raises his eyebrows at him before flipping him off, Alex grinning. "Max and I would be slaying." 

“Maybe we can really do it again next year”, Seb suggests while cutting himself a slice from the White Chocolate Piña Colada Collar Cake (he notices the proud look in Alex’s eyes that he’s eating their cake). “I’m sure it would be fun.” 

“We might have to practice before that though”, Hulk throws in dryly but there’s a smirk on his face. “But Kevin and I would definitely kick all your asses after that.”

They all laugh, Seb shaking his head amused. 

They keep chatting long into the night, drinking wine and beer, eating cake and laughing, just enjoying the company of each other and all somehow hoping this night will never end.

**Author's Note:**

> I really have no explanation for this lmao 
> 
> you can follow me on tumblr @ [verstappened](https://verstappened.tumblr.com/) if you want to yell with me more about Bake Off or the drivers - I'm back from my semi-hiatus which I never really announced in the first place but yeah ksdjsd 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very appreciated thanksss 💛


End file.
